Military Aides Made Decision to Transfer Defense Secretary’s Authority During Hospitalization

‘The military aides made the decision to initiate the process,’ Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in congressional testimony.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin testifies during a House Committee on Armed Services hearing to examine the circumstances surrounding the failure to communicate his absence during his recent hospitalization, on Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 29, 2024. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

The decision to transfer Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s duties to his second-in-command in January was made by military aides and not the secretary himself, Mr. Austin testified at a congressional hearing on Feb. 29.

Mr. Austin’s functions and duties were transferred to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks as he was transferred into critical care for a cancer-related operation.