The United States Department of Defense (Pentagon) announced on Friday evening that Secretary Lloyd Austin has been receiving treatment in the hospital since Monday due to an undisclosed health issue, without providing details on why the matter was kept confidential throughout the week.
According to Reuters, Austin, 70, is second in command of the U.S. military after President Joe Biden, and his duties require him to be available at any moment to address any crisis affecting national security.
The department did not disclose whether Austin had lost consciousness before or after entering the Walter Reed Military Medical Center on January 1st. It also failed to specify to what extent his deputy, Kathleen Hicks, would handle his responsibilities, which include readiness to respond to any impending nuclear attack.
The department stated that Austin suffered from "complications following an elective medical procedure," but refrained from specifying the procedure or the complications encountered by the secretary.
Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon's spokesperson, said late on Friday that the secretary is "recovering well and is expected to resume his full duties today."
Ryder added, "At every moment, the Deputy Secretary of Defense was prepared to step in and exercise the Secretary's authorities as necessary."
"Considered a Scandal"
According to the French Press Agency, Austin's hospitalization coincides with rising tensions that the United States faces in the Middle East, linked to the war Israel is waging in Gaza Strip, as well as the Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea and armed groups targeting U.S. forces stationed in Iraq and Syria.
Furthermore, the agency noted that the Pentagon's delay in disclosing Austin's hospitalization has drawn criticism from the Pentagon Press Association, which expressed "serious concerns" and described the delay in the announcement as "considered a scandal."
The association emphasized that "the public has the right to know when U.S. government officials are hospitalized… or when their duties are delegated (to someone else) as a result of a medical procedure."
