The minister was hospitalized on Monday of last week due to complications from a medical procedure, but the Ministry of Defense did not inform about it until late on Friday.
of the United States Minister of Defense Lloyd Austin is still hospitalized, says a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to Reuters. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not said when the Minister of Defense will be discharged from the hospital. According to the spokesperson, Austin has recovered well. He went back to work on Friday night.
The Department of Defense's disclosure of Austin's trip to the hospital drew criticism over the weekend. Austin was hospitalized on Monday of last week due to complications from a medical procedure, but the Ministry of Defense did not announce this until late Friday.
According to NBC News, Austin had been in the intensive care unit for four days. According to the channel, the Ministry of Defense did not inform the high-ranking officials of the White House about being hospitalized until Thursday.
“I understand the media's concern about transparency, and I understand that I could have done a better job of making sure the public was properly informed. I am committed to doing better,” Austin said in a statement posted on the Defense Department's website.
“This was my medical procedure and I take full responsibility for my decisions regarding disclosure.”
News site According to Politico, Austin's hospitalization had been reported to, among others, the US National Security Advisor To Jake Sullivan not until thursday. After this, Sullivan had also told the president about it For Joe Biden.
According to Politico, the US Congress learned about Austin's hospital visit fifteen minutes before it was made public on Friday.
Republican Senator Tom Cotton demanded answers and stressed that the Minister of Defense is a key link in the chain of command between the president and the armed forces, when weighty decisions have to be made on a minute schedule.
The Minister of Defense's hospitalization coincided with the war declared by the US-backed Israel and its extremist organization Hamas, as well as the escalating tensions in the Middle East.
#United #States #Minister #Defense #hospital
