vdays after the US Secretary of Defense's hospitalization was made public, the cause is now known. Lloyd Austin is being treated for prostate cancer, doctors at Walter Reed Military Hospital said in a statement Tuesday. The cancer was detected early and the prognosis was “excellent”. The reason for Austin's longer hospital stay were complications after an operation on December 22nd. A urinary tract infection was diagnosed.
Austin and close aides failed to inform the president, senior defense officials and Congress about his situation for three days after his arrival in the intensive care unit on January 1. The Defense Ministry ordered a review of the processes on Monday, which should also include a detailed timeline of the information chain. It was previously said that Chief of Staff Kelly Magsamen was ill with the flu and prevented the information from being passed on during this period.
“Always been conscious since January 1st”
Austin himself said on Saturday that he “could have done a better job” of providing adequate information. According to the Pentagon, the National Security Council and Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks were not made aware of Austin's hospitalization until Jan. 4. On January 2, the Secretary of Defense assigned “certain operational responsibilities requiring encrypted communications” to Hicks. However, she didn't know any details at the time; she was on vacation in Puerto Rico.
On the evening of January 5th, the Pentagon informed the public. According to the ministry, Austin had already resumed business as defense minister. The latest statement states that Austin has not lost consciousness or been under general anesthesia at any time since January 1st.
Despite criticism from both parties, the White House stood behind Austin earlier this week. Joe Biden's main focus is on his recovery, said John Kirby, spokesman for the White House National Security Council. The President respects that the minister has taken responsibility for the “lack of transparency”. But Kirby also said there was an expectation to “inform the chain of command” if a cabinet member needed to go to the hospital.
Every morning, according to Kirby, the ministers' locations are communicated, but without details about their exact whereabouts. In Austin's case, it was not clear that he was in the hospital until the White House was informed three days later.
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