The Pentagon said Austin was recovering “well” and would return to duty Friday evening
January 5, 2024, 7:41 p.m. ET
• 2 min reading
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been in a military hospital since Monday night due to complications from a recent medical procedure, the Pentagon announced Friday evening.
“On the evening of January 1, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for complications following a recent medical procedure,” Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement.
“He is recovering well and expects to return to full work today,” he later added, clarifying that Austin remains hospitalized.
Another Defense Department spokesman declined to elaborate on what procedure was performed in Austin, describing it only as “a minor, elective procedure.”
No details were given about the complications Austin experienced after the procedure, which required hospitalization.
“The Deputy Secretary of Defense was always ready to act on behalf of the Secretary of Defense and exercise his authority when necessary,” he added.
Asked why it took so long for the Pentagon to disclose the hospitalization of a key figure in the Biden administration, Ryder described “an evolving situation.”
“We had to consider a number of factors, including medical and personal privacy issues,” Ryder said. “We are now in a position to bring you up to date.”
Austin did not have to delegate his authority because the deputy defense secretary, who made routine decisions on his behalf, was automatically given that responsibility, another Defense Department spokesman said.
Ryder said that before his hospitalization, Austin approved the drone strike in Baghdad that killed the leader of an Iran-backed militia that the U.S. blames for some of the attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria.