The US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been hospitalized almost for a week due to complications after a minor elective medical procedure, his press secretary shared a day ago, in the first official acknowledgment that Austin had been admitted five days earlier to Walter Reed national military medical center.
Air Force Maj Gen Pat Ryder said on Friday that Secretary of Defense, Austin was ‘recovering well’, but it was not clear when the secretary would be released from the hospital.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has taken ‘full responsibility’ for the secrecy surrounding his week-long hospitalization for an unspecified medical condition.
The Pentagon’s failure to disclose Austin’s hospitalization is counter to normal practice with the president and other senior US officials and cabinet members.
The Pentagon Press Association, which represents media members who cover the defense department, sent a letter of protest to Ryder and Chris Meagher, the assistant defense secretary for public affairs.
READ MORE: VIDEO: Mid-Air incident, Alaska Airlines jet makes emergency landing
The fact that the US Defense Secretary has been at Walter Reed … for four days and the Pentagon is only now alerting the public late on a Friday evening is an outrage,” the PPA said in its letter.
“At a time when there are growing threats to US military service members in the Middle East and the US is playing key national security roles in the wars in Israel and Ukraine, it is particularly critical for the American public to be informed about the health status and decision-making ability of its top defense leader.”
The White House has refused to say when or how it had been notified of Austin’s hospitalization, and it referred questions to the Pentagon.
Austin, 70, was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on New Year’s Day for complications following a recent elective medical procedure.
The Pentagon kept this information undisclosed for five days. Austin acknowledged the lack of transparency and committed to doing better, stating,
“This was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure.” The episode has raised questions about the communication within the Biden administration and the handling of national security information.
Via: The Guardian
