Lloyd Austin has been hospitalized for treatment of prostate cancer, the Pentagon announced Tuesday, after days of criticism for covering up the defense secretary's secret hospitalization.
“On December 22, after consultation with his medical team, he was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and underwent a minimally invasive surgical procedure called a prostatectomy to treat and cure prostate cancer,” the hospital said in a statement.
His cancer was “diagnosed early and its prognosis is excellent.” However, he also suffered complications on January 1 that required an ambulance to take him to the hospital.
His complications included “nausea with severe stomach, leg and hip pain.” The early diagnosis was a urinary tract infection, but further tests revealed fluid had built up in 70-year-old Austin's stomach, affecting the function of his small intestine.
The infection was treated through a tube inserted through the nose and extending into the stomach. The infection has subsided, the statement said, and Austin “continues to make progress.” He “never lost consciousness and never underwent general anesthesia,” the statement said, although it also said Austin was put under anesthesia for the Dec. 22 surgery.
The announcement came as more lawmakers began to question why Austin was hospitalized and why the Pentagon took four days to inform President Joe Biden and five days to inform the public. Senior administration and defense officials were not informed of his hospitalization or cancer for days.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was last seen in public on December 20 (above); He was hospitalized for treatment of prostate cancer, the Pentagon said
Eight out of ten men and six out of ten black men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year. In men, the risk increases with age. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is the most common cancer among men in the United States.
The 5-year relative survival rate for prostate cancer in the United States is 97%.
Meanwhile, the White House on Tuesday directed Cabinet secretaries to keep it informed if they may be unable to perform their duties as the fallout from Austin's hospitalization continues.
White House Chief of Staff Jeffrey Zients directed Cabinet officials in a memo to review their policies for delegating authority when a secretary is off duty and to send those procedures to the White House for review.
He also made clear that White House officials expected to be kept abreast of developments such as major medical issues.
“Notify the Offices of Cabinet Affairs and the White House Chief of Staff in the event of a delegation of authority or possible delegation,” Zients wrote in the memo, obtained by The New York Times. “This notification should occur when authorities anticipate or prepare for a transfer of powers and again when the transfer occurs.”
The Pengaton said Tuesday it was correcting its procedures.
“The department is taking immediate steps to correct our notification procedures,” Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder said at his briefing.
“To the Secretary of Defense and the Department of Defense, nothing is more important than the trust and confidence of the American people and the public we serve, and we will continue to work hard every day, every day, to earn and earn that trust,” said he said.
He noted that the Pentagon was conducting an internal review of the matter.
“We want to make sure that notifications are timely.” And in that way, as we acknowledged, there were some shortfalls, and that's why it's important that we go back and look at how those shortfalls work. What could have been done better to ensure this continues to be the case in the future. “We are improving these processes,” he said.
“We are committed to ensuring that something like this doesn’t happen again.” And then we’ll do better next time.”
Secretary Austin was treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
White House Chief of Staff Jeffrey Zients sent a memo to Cabinet officials requesting that the White House be informed if there are serious medical or other problems
“The department is taking immediate steps to correct our notification procedures,” Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder said Tuesday
Zients also directed Cabinet officials to ensure that power is transferred “when a Cabinet member travels to areas with limited or no communications access, undergoes hospitalization or a medical procedure requiring general anesthesia, or for other reasons, if necessary.” is not available.” '
The memo was sent as President Biden and his team continue to grapple with the political headaches they faced after Austin did not inform them of his hospitalization until four days after he was hospitalized.
Austin could have violated the law by not reporting his absence, the Pentagon has launched a full investigation into the matter and a Republican lawmaker filed articles of impeachment against the defense secretary.
Austin remains at Walter Reed Medical Center but is no longer in intensive care and has regained control of his authorities as head of the US armed forces. The White House has said President Biden supports him, but lawmakers from both parties are questioning the Pentagon's handling of the situation. The White House had also announced that it would conduct a review of the situation.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin could have broken the law by not reporting his absence – he is seen above attending the virtual Red Sea Security Summit at NAVCENT headquarters in Manama, Bahrain, on December 19
Timeline of Lloyd Austin's illness
December 22: Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has a trial at Walter Reed
December 23: Austin returns home
December 27: President Biden travels to St. Croix for the New Year's holiday
January 1: Austin participates in a national security call
January 1: Austin is admitted to the intensive care unit
January 2: Top Austin officials are informed of his hospitalization
January 2: Biden returns to the White House
January 2: Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks assumes some of Austin's duties
January 4: Biden and Hicks announced that Austin was in the hospital
January 5: Congress informed
January 6: Biden and Austin speak by telephone
January 9: The Pentagon announces that Austin is being treated for prostate cancer
The Pentagon said Monday evening that it was still unclear when Austin would be released from the hospital, but promised to provide daily updates until his release.
It remained unclear to many officials for days what elective procedure Austin went to the hospital for on Dec. 22 and what aftereffects he suffered. It is unclear when President Biden became aware of this.
Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder said in a statement Monday that Austin “continues to experience discomfort, but his prognosis is good.” Ryder said Austin is in “good shape” and is “recovering well and in good spirits.”
As part of the fallout, Kelly Magsamen, Austin's chief of staff, ordered a 30-day investigation into the events surrounding Austin's hospitalization, the Pentagon announced late Monday night.
However, the matter was not referred to the Defense Department's Office of the Inspector General for an independent review. It is led by Jennifer Walsh, the Pentagon's director of administration and management.
Magsamen was sick with the flu and didn't know Austin had been hospitalized. Officials cited her illness as one of the reasons the White House was not informed of the secretary's condition.
However, Austin's top employees knew about his hospitalization as early as January 2nd, the day after. Biden was not informed of this until January 4th.
The review will create a timeline of events from Jan. 1, when Austin was taken by ambulance to Walter Reed, and examine how decisions were made about informing officials of his condition.
“This review will help ensure clarity and transparency where it has been determined that certain powers have been delegated,” Magsamen wrote. “And that proper and timely notification was made to the President and the White House and, as appropriate, to the Congress of the United States and the American public.”
Kelly Magsamen (left), Lloyd Austin's chief of staff, ordered a 30-day investigation into the events surrounding the defense secretary's hospitalization
The White House announced that President Biden is supporting Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (see above with Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas at the White House on August 30).
Earlier Monday, Ryder admitted he knew about Austin's hospitalization on Jan. 2 and should have pushed for the public to be informed sooner.
In an hour-long off-camera back-and-forth with reporters, Ryder offered no explanation as to why the White House was not informed sooner.
Asked whether Austin had instructed any of his employees to withhold information, he answered indirectly: “That's one of the things we'll be looking at in terms of process improvements.”
Legal experts told Portal that Austin may have violated a U.S. “vacancy reporting” law that requires heads of executive agencies to “submit to the Comptroller General of the United States and each house of Congress all vacancies and the name of the vacancies.” . Person filling the position.
The Marine Corps announced late Monday that its commander, Gen. Eric Smith, had successfully undergone open-heart surgery
The Comptroller General would then forward this information to the President and the Office of Personnel Management.
The law is largely procedural in nature and does not provide for penalties for failure to comply. Austin would likely only face a reprimand from Biden.
Meanwhile, the Marine Corps announced late Monday that its commander, Gen. Eric Smith, underwent successful open-heart surgery on Monday.
The Marine Corps said the surgery repaired a bicuspid aortic valve in Smith's heart that led to his cardiac arrest on Oct. 28. The Marine Corps had previously reported Smith's heart attack within 24 hours of its occurrence in October.
“He is in good condition and is recovering in hospital with his family,” they said.
The prompt public disclosure and details of the operation stood in stark contrast to the way officials handled the operation in Austin.
The Marine Corps' handling of General Smith's operation has drawn comparisons to the Pentagon's handling of Secretary Austin's operation
The Pentagon continues to refuse to say what procedure Austin had or describe the complications he suffered.
It's unclear whether even the president knows, but the White House has made it clear that Biden supports Austin.
“There are no plans for anything other than for Secretary Austin to remain in office and continue the leadership that he has demonstrated,” White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Monday.
“Our primary focus at this time is Secretary Austin’s health and ensuring he receives the care and support he needs for a full recovery,” he said.
Neither Kirby nor White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre would say whether Biden knew what illness his defense secretary was suffering from. Biden and Austin spoke on Saturday.
“I don't know what the president's personal level of knowledge is about his (Austin's) medical situation.” “That would really be a matter between the two men,” Kirby said.
“That it's not something we can talk about properly.” “That's his own medical matter – it's a private matter – the minister and the Defense Ministry would talk about that,” Jean-Pierre said.
Kirby promised the White House would investigate the matter and look at the “process and procedure” regarding the whereabouts and health of senior officials after Biden was not informed for four days that his defense secretary was hospitalized.
He said the government would conduct a “hot wash,” a military term for an intensive, rapid review.
“As you would expect, we're taking a look at the process and procedure here.” “And try to learn from this experience and if there are some changes that need to be made in terms of the process and procedures, we will do,” Kirby said.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was last seen in public on December 20 (above) on the USS Gerald R. Ford
Montana Rep. Matt Rosendale announced Monday night that he is filing articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Austin
Republicans have taken up the issue, and Montana Rep. Matt Rosendale announced Monday evening that he would file articles of impeachment against Austin.
Rosendale says Austin has “violated his office” on several occasions, citing the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Chinese spy balloon debacle as examples.
'Sec. “Austin knowingly endangered the American people and endangered our national security when he allowed a foreign adversary’s spy balloon to fly over Malmstrom Air Force Base – home of intercontinental ballistic missiles – and allowed the Chinese Communist Party to collect information on American citizens.” he said in a statement.
“This dishonesty appears to be a repeated pattern for the Secretary, as he once again lied to our military and the American people about his health last week.”
'Sec. “Austin is unfit to be Secretary of Defense, which is why I urge my colleagues to join me in impeaching him to protect the American people,” he added.
Rosendale is considering a run for Senate in Montana, even as GOP leaders have already thrown their weight behind another Republican in the race, Tim Sheehy.
Democrats also expressed concerns.
Senator Jack Reed, the Rhode Island Democrat and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, made his first public comments on the situation on Monday. He spoke to Austin on Sunday.
He said he wished Austin a “quick and full recovery” but had concerns “that important chain of command and notification procedures were not followed while the minister received medical attention.”
While Austin takes responsibility for the secrecy, “this was a serious incident and the department must ensure transparency and accountability,” Reed said. This lack of disclosure must never happen again.”