The United States Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, has been reported to have spent several days in an intensive care unit, following complications from an elective medical procedure.
The news, which was initially kept from the media due to "medical and personal privacy issues," was confirmed by Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder in a statement released on Friday.
Austin, who is the first African American to hold the position of Defense Secretary, was admitted to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Monday. His hospitalization coincided with a period of heightened tensions in the Middle East, marked by a U.S. strike in Baghdad that resulted in the death of four members of an Iran-aligned Iraqi militia group, and two suicide bombings in Iran that claimed at least 103 lives, amidst ongoing Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.
According to Lara Seligman, a Pentagon correspondent for Politico, Austin remained in the hospital until Saturday and resumed his full duties last night. "I dont have any updates to provide at this time in terms of when hell be discharged, but we will be sure to keep you and others updated," Seligman wrote, quoting Ryder. Fox News Digital, which reached out to the Pentagon for comment, has yet to receive a response.
Two administration officials, who spoke to NBC News on condition of anonymity, revealed that Austin spent four days in an intensive care unit. During his hospitalization, Austin was unable to perform his duties from New Year's Day until yesterday. In his absence, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, who was on leave, assumed his responsibilities, a senior defense official told the news outlet.
The reasons for Austin's hospitalization, the nature of the elective procedure, and when it took place remain unclear. When asked why the Pentagon did not inform the public about Austin's condition until last night, Seligman quoted Ryder as saying, "It was an evolving situation, in which we had to consider a number of factors, including medical and personal privacy issues."
In response to the delayed disclosure of Austin's hospitalization, the Pentagon Press Association (PPA), a body representing journalists covering the Pentagon, sent a letter from its board of directors to Secretary Austin's personnel on Friday evening. The letter, addressed to Ryder and Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Chris Meagher, expressed the PPA's "significant concern" about the Defense Department's failure to notify the public and the media about Austin's hospitalization in a timely manner.
The PPA argued that the Defense Department's disclosure "falls far below the normal disclosure standards" for when senior administration officials undergo surgery, and stressed that the American public has a right to know when their leaders are incapacitated.
Login