WASHINGTON — Senior Biden administration leaders, top Pentagon officials and members of Congress were unaware for days that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had been hospitalized since Monday, U.S. officials said Saturday, as questions swirled about his condition and the secrecy surrounding it.
The Pentagon did not notify the White House National Security Council or top adviser Jake Sullivan of Austin's hospitalization at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, until Thursday, according to two administration officials. The officials were not authorized to speak publicly about the case and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
The Pentagon's failure to make Austin's hospitalization public for days reflects a stunning lack of transparency about his illness, how serious it was and when he might be released. Such secrecy, at a time when the United States is facing numerous national security crises, goes against normal practice among the president and other senior U.S. officials and Cabinet members.
In a statement issued Saturday evening, Austin took responsibility for the notification delays.
“I recognize that I could have done better in ensuring that the public was properly informed. I am committed to doing better,” Austin said, acknowledging transparency concerns. “But this is important to say: This was my medical procedure and I take full responsibility for my disclosure decisions.”
Austin, 70, remained hospitalized due to complications following a minor medical procedure, his press secretary said, as it became increasingly clear how closely the Pentagon had information about his stay at Walter Reed. In his statement, Austin said he is on the mend and looks forward to returning to the Pentagon soon, but he provided no other details about his ailment.
Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said the White House and the Joint Chiefs of Staff had been notified of Austin's hospitalization, but he would not confirm when that notification occurred.
Some U.S. officials said Saturday that many of the Pentagon's top brass were unaware Austin was in the hospital until Friday. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. Politico was first to report that the White House was aware of his condition on Thursday.
Ryder said members of Congress were notified late Friday afternoon, and other officials said lawmakers were notified after 5 p.m. It was not clear when key senior members of Austin's staff were notified, but many employees across the Pentagon found out when the department released a statement. about Austin's hospital stay just minutes after 5 p.m. Many thought Austin was on vacation for a week.
Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, who took over when Austin was hospitalized, was also gone. A U.S. official said she had a communications system with her in Puerto Rico that allowed her to do the work while Austin, who spent 41 years in the military and retired in 2016 as a four-star Army general, was incapacitated.
Ryder said Saturday that Austin is recovering well and resumed full duties from his hospital bed Friday evening. Asked why the hospital stay was kept secret for so long, Ryder said Friday that it was an “evolving situation” and that the Pentagon was not disclosing Austin's absence due to privacy and medical concerns. Ryder declined to provide further details about Austin's medical procedure or health.
“The Ministry of Defense deliberately concealed the Minister of Defense's medical condition for days. That is unacceptable,” said Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee. “We are learning more every hour about the department's shocking fight against the law.”
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, also criticized the delayed notice.
“The Secretary of Defense is the most important link in the chain of command between the President and the uniformed military, including the nuclear command structure, when the toughest decisions must be made in minutes,” Cotton said in a statement, adding that as Austin said not immediately told the White House: “There must be consequences for this shocking collapse.”
The Pentagon Press Association, which represents media members who cover the Defense Department, sent a letter of protest Friday evening to 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 the Pentagon is only now alerting the public late on a Friday evening is shameful,” the PPA said in its letter. “At a time when there are increasing threats to U.S. military service members in the Middle East and the U.S. plays a major national security role in the wars in Israel and Ukraine, it is especially critical that the American public is informed about the health status and decision-making capacity of its top defense leader.”
Other senior U.S. leaders have been much more transparent about hospital stays. When Attorney General Merrick Garland needed to undergo a routine medical procedure in 2022, his office informed the public a week in advance, outlining how long he was expected to be away and when he would return to work.
Austin's hospitalization comes as Iranian-backed militias have repeatedly launched drones, rockets and missiles at bases where U.S. troops are stationed in Iraq and Syria, prompting several pushback from the Biden administration. These attacks are often accompanied by sensitive discussions and top-level decisions by Austin and other key military leaders.
The US is also the main organizer behind a new international maritime coalition using ships and other assets to patrol the southern Red Sea to deter continued attacks on commercial ships by Houthi militants in Yemen.
Furthermore, the administration, and especially Austin, has been at the forefront of providing weapons and training to Ukraine, as well as communicating regularly with the Israelis about their war against Hamas.
___ Associated Press writers Colleen Long, Lisa Mascaro, Tara Copp and Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report.