US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was admitted to intensive care last week for complications from prostate cancer surgery, officials said Tuesday, after he faced criticism for keeping his extended hospital stay under wraps.
“Nobody at the White House knew that Secretary Austin had prostate cancer until this morning,” said John Kirby, the National Security Council spokesman. “And the president was informed immediately after.” The 70-year-old’s failure to disclose his hospitalisation left top officials in the dark about his status as Washington struggles to contain the fallout from the Israel-Hamas war.
Austin’s “prostate cancer was detected early and his prognosis is excellent,” two doctors from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center said in a statement released by the Pentagon. The cancer was detected as a result of routine screening and Austin underwent a minor surgical procedure to treat it on December 22, returning home the following day, they said.
However, he was readmitted to the same hospital on January 1 due to complications “including nausea with severe abdominal, hip, and leg pain. Initial evaluation revealed a urinary tract infection,” necessitating further treatment. “He continues to make progress and we anticipate a full recovery although this can be a slow process. During this stay, Secretary Austin never lost consciousness and never underwent general anesthesia,” the doctors said.
While Austin was hospitalised on January 1, the Pentagon did not make any public announcement until four days later, and also waited to notify President Joe Biden and Congress. “After Austin’s admission to Walter Reed last week, the Defense Department failed to properly notify appropriate parties, including President Joe Biden, about the secretary’s condition,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
Some of Austin’s authorities were transferred to Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks on January 2, but she was not told that he was hospitalised until two days later, Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder told journalists on Monday. Ryder said the defense department is now looking into that breakdown in communications so that it will not happen again.
The US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan was informed on January 4, bringing the White House into the loop, while Congress was not told until the day after that. Some Republican lawmakers have called for Austin to resign or be fired, but the White House has stood by the secretary, and Ryder said the secretary has no plans to resign.
(With agency inputs)
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