(Washington) Members of Congress and Pentagon leaders were unaware for several days that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had been hospitalized since Monday, US officials said Saturday, as questions swirled around his condition and secrecy which surrounds it.
And it remains unclear when the White House and other key U.S. officials learned of his stay at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.
The Pentagon’s failure to disclose Mr. Austin’s hospitalization for days reflects a glaring lack of transparency about his illness, its severity and when he might be discharged. Such secrecy, at a time when the United States is grappling with myriad national security crises, runs counter to normal practices with the president and other senior U.S. officials and cabinet members.
Mr. Austin, 70, remained hospitalized due to complications following a minor, non-emergency medical procedure, his press secretary said, as it became clear how much the Pentagon was withholding information about his stay at Walter Reed.
U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said the White House and the Joint Chiefs of Staff had been informed of Mr. Austin’s hospitalization, but he would not say when. this happened.
U.S. officials said Saturday that many of the Pentagon’s top officials were unaware until Friday that Mr. Austin was in the hospital. Officials said President Joe Biden and other senior White House officials were briefed, but officials did not say when. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.
Ryder said members of Congress were briefed late Friday afternoon, and other officials said lawmakers were briefed after 5 p.m. It is unclear when key members of Mr. Austin’s team were informed, but at the Pentagon, many staff members were informed when the department issued a statement about Mr. Austin’s hospitalization, some minutes after 5 p.m. Many people believed that Mr. Austin was on vacation for the week.
PHOTO JOSHUA ROBERTS, REUTERS ARCHIVES
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland
Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks, who took over when Mr. Austin was hospitalized, was also absent. A U.S. official said she had a communications system with her in Puerto Rico that allowed her to do the job while Mr. Austin, who spent 41 years in the military and retired in as a four-star Army general in 2016, could not carry out his duties.
Mr. Ryder said Saturday that Mr. Austin was recovering well and had returned to full duty Friday evening from his hospital bed. Asked why the hospital stay had been kept secret for so long, Mr Ryder said on Friday that it was an “evolving situation” and that due to confidentiality concerns and medical problems, the Pentagon has not made Mr. Austin’s absence public. Mr. Ryder declined to provide further details about the medical procedure or Mr. Austin’s condition.
The White House declined to say when or how it learned of Mr. Austin’s hospitalization. She referred questions to the Pentagon.
An absence singled out by the press
The Pentagon Journalists Association, which represents members of the media who cover the Defense Department, sent a letter of protest late Friday to Mr. Ryder and Chris Meagher, the assistant secretary of defense for public affairs.
“The fact that he has been at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for four days and that the Pentagon did not alert the public until late on a Friday evening is an outrage,” the association argued in its letter.
As the U.S. military in the Middle East faces increasing threats and the United States plays a key national security role in the wars in Israel and Ukraine, it is especially critical that the public American is informed of the state of health of its military and the decision-making capacity of its principal defense leader.
Excerpt from the letter sent by the Pentagon Journalists Association
Other senior U.S. leaders have been much more transparent about hospital stays. When Attorney General Merrick Garland underwent a routine medical procedure in 2022, his office notified the public a week in advance and indicated how long he was expected to be out and when he would return to work.
Mr Austin’s hospitalization comes as Iran-backed militias have repeatedly launched drones, missiles and rockets at bases where US troops are stationed in Iraq and Syria, leading to the The Biden administration has repeatedly responded. These strikes often involve sensitive discussions and decisions by Mr. Austin and other key military leaders.
The United States is also the lead convener of a new international maritime coalition using ships and other assets to patrol the southern Red Sea to deter persistent attacks on commercial shipping by Houthi militants in Yemen.
Additionally, the administration, particularly Mr. Austin, has been at the forefront of efforts to provide weapons and training to Ukraine, and he has also communicated frequently with the Israelis about their war against Hamas.