US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is in intensive care. According to doctors, his recovery prospects are good. But first his deputy takes over the business.
Washington – US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is in the intensive care unit of a military hospital near the US capital Washington, DC, according to the attending Walter ReedHospital on Sunday evening (local time) announced. Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks “assumed Austin’s duties and responsibilities” shortly before 5 p.m. (local time; 11 p.m. CET), said Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder.
US Secretary of Defense in intensive care with cancer: “Expected to make a full recovery”
The treatment at the Walter Reed Military Hospital was due to bladder problems. After a series of tests and examinations, he will continue to be cared for and closely monitored in the hospital's intensive care unit, the hospital statement said. It is currently unclear how long Defense Secretary Austin will remain in the hospital.
But his recovery prospects are good. “The current bladder problem is not expected to alter his expected full recovery. His cancer prognosis remains excellent,” the statement continued. The Pentagon announced, US President Joe Biden had been informed about the hospital stay.
Joe Biden continues to stand behind Lloyd Austin
Prostate cancer was discovered in December in 70-year-old Austin. However, the US Secretary of Defense did not inform the US President of the diagnosis for days and was criticized as a result. Austin only passed the information on to the White House on January 4th, and he informed Congress a day later. Biden didn't learn of the cancer diagnosis until January 9th.
The US Secretary of Defense subsequently publicly apologized. “My first instinct was to keep it to myself,” the 70-year-old admitted. “I should have informed the president about the cancer diagnosis,” the politician admitted. “I should have told my team and the American public.” The opposition sharply criticized Austin for keeping his diagnosis secret. There were also loud calls for his resignation. US President Joe Biden acknowledged a lack of communication in Austin because of the silence about his health problems, but at the same time expressed his trust in him and emphasized that he wanted to stick with the minister.
Deputy Kathleen Hicks takes over official duties
Austin was last released from the hospital for his cancer treatmen
t on January 15th. At the end of January he resumed his work at the Pentagon. During the transition period, Austin's deputy Kathleen Hicks was ready to act “at any time” and, “if necessary, to make use of the minister's prerogatives,” Pentagon spokesman Ryder emphasized. It initially remained unclear whether this case had occurred. According to AFP, it was later said that Austin's deputy had “made routine decisions on his behalf this week.” Hicks has currently officially taken over the duties of US Secretary of Defense.
The world security situation is tense: the war between Israel and the radical Islamic Hamas is accompanied by increased challenges for the USA in the Middle East. Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have increased the frequency of their attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea, while other groups in Iraq and Syria are targeting U.S. troops with missiles and drones. At the same time he is raging Ukraine war Furthermore, the US Senate has been arguing for weeks about a compromise on aid to Ukraine. Without US military support, Russia will win the war, experts say.
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