The Pentagon said in a Jan. 13 update on Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s condition that he remains in the hospital.
The update comes two weeks after the 70-year-old was secretly moved to an intensive care unit after suffering from a post-surgery infection.
“Secretary Austin remains hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and is in good condition,” Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in the update.
“He’s in contact with his senior staff and has full access to required secure communications capabilities and continues to monitor DOD’s day-to-day operations worldwide.”
Over the past two weeks, members of Congress from both sides of the aisle have been criticizing the Pentagon for its lack of transparency and delays in disclosing Mr. Austin’s Jan. 1 hospitalization and the nature of his condition.
Complications from a urinary tract infection and fluid collecting in his abdomen following a surgery caused Mr. Austin, 70, to return to the hospital on Jan. 1, when doctors transferred him to the intensive care unit for an expelling procedure and close monitoring.
However, President Joe Biden and top Defense Department officials, including Mr. Austin’s deputy defense secretary Kathleen Hicks, who was called on to take over some of his duties on Jan. 2, were not informed of the hospitalization until Jan. 4—three days after he was admitted to the ICU. The Pentagon blamed that on the absence of Mr. Austin’s chief of staff, Kelly Magsamen, who was ill and didn’t deliver the news earlier.
The public wasn’t informed about the hospitalization until Jan. 5, when Mr. Austin resumed his duties. In a public statement, Mr. Austin took full responsibility for the delay in notification, although he held back disclosing more about his cancer surgery, citing personal privacy.
As Mr. Ryder disclosed to The New York Times on Jan. 7, Mr. Austin had an initial “elective medical procedure” at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Dec. 22 and returned to the hospital on Jan. 1 because of “severe pain” from the complications.
Mr. Austin’s December surgery for prostate cancer, for which he was temporarily incapacitated when he underwent general anesthesia, also wasn’t disclosed until Jan. 9. The White House learned of his cancer prognosis on the same day.
Mr. Austin’s doctors have said that he is expected to make a full recovery, although it might take some time.
Calls for Resignation
Some Republican lawmakers have called for the secretary to resign or be removed. Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) introduced an impeachment resolution on Jan. 10, proposing to remove Mr. Austin from his post for failing to adhere to expected practices of communication with the president, National Security Council, and other senior U.S. officials and Cabinet members.Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), the panel’s top Democrat, also released a joint statement voicing their disapproval of the secretary’s handling of the issue.
A review of the saga was ordered on Jan. 9 by Mr. Austin’s chief of staff, Kelly Magsamen, to help “get to ground truth in a holistic way,” Mr. Ryder said at the time.
The lapse in communication came at a time when the United States is juggling what seems to be a growing array of national security crises.
Other senior U.S. leaders have been much more transparent about hospital stays. When Attorney General Merrick Garland went in for a routine medical procedure in 2022, his office informed the public a week in advance and outlined how long he was expected to be out and when he would return to work.
