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The Pentagon announced Sunday that Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III was taken to a military hospital for treatment that afternoon for “symptoms suggestive of an emergency bladder problem.”
Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Patrick S. Rider said in a statement that Mr. Austin was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, at 2:20 p.m. He added that he had notified the deputy secretary of defense and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as well as the White House and members of Congress.
Gen. Rider said in a second statement Sunday evening that Mr. Austin, 70, “transferred the functions and duties” of the office to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen H. Hicks around 4:55 p.m.
The announcement appears to be aimed at demonstrating transparency about Austin’s medical condition and highlighting the fact that multiple senior U.S. government officials were informed.
Mr. Austin faced widespread criticism last month when he spent several days in the hospital treating complications related to recent prostate cancer surgery. He initially kept the hospital visit a secret from senior government officials, including President Biden, the White House national security adviser, the secretary of state, and senior Pentagon officials, including some of his direct reports. Ta.
Mr. Austin also did not tell the president that he had undergone his first surgery in December.
Lawmakers demanded answers from the Pentagon as to why so many officials were kept in the dark. Mr. Biden said on January 12 that he still has confidence in Mr. Austin. But when asked if he had made a mistake in not informing Austin that he was leaving, Biden said, “Yes.”
Austin, a retired four-star Army general and former commander of U.S. Central Command, had more than 40 years of military service when he took the top Pentagon job in 2021. Throughout his career, he has tried to avoid it. He has sought attention and tried to keep many parts of his life out of the public eye.
General Rider said the Department of Defense would provide an update on Mr. Austin’s condition as soon as possible.
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