Pentagon Inspector General Robert P. Storch said his review “will examine the roles, operations, procedures, responsibilities and actions” associated with the secretary's transportation to the hospital.
He added that he would evaluate whether the Pentagon's policies and procedures were “adequate to ensure accurate and specific notifications and effective transfer of authorities as would be required due to health or other reasons related to the unavailability of senior leadership.”
Earlier Wednesday, the Pentagon said that Austin is still receiving medical care in the hospital and that he is in good condition at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland, adding that it does not yet have a specific date for his release from the hospital.
Austin's hospitalization as a result of complications following prostate cancer surgery remained unannounced to the White House or Congress, sparking a violent political reaction and necessitating a congressional investigation.
Austin, 70, was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland on December 22 for treatment of prostate cancer. He returned to the hospital on January 1, due to complications including a urinary tract infection, and has remained in the hospital since then.
The efforts of the US Secretary of Defense to keep his treatment completely secret raised questions about whether he violated rules related to notifying Congress of the surgery and caused embarrassment for US President Joe Biden, who did not know that Austin was receiving medical care until January 4th, and was informed on the 9th of the same month that Austin had cancer. Prostate.
The White House and the Pentagon rejected calls for Austin's dismissal.
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