An aide to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin asked first responders to avoid using flashing lights and sirens when requesting an ambulance to be sent to Austin’s home in northern Virginia after he suffered complications from prostate cancer surgery which he had kept secret from senior Biden administration leaders and staff.
Austin was hospitalized and admitted to the intensive care unit on January 1 after developing an infection a week after surgery. He was released from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Monday.
During the Jan. 1 call to the Fairfax County Department of Public Safety, a man who identified himself as a government official described Austin as alert. The identities of Austin and the caller were gleaned from a copy of the 911 audio, which was obtained by The Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Act. The caller mentioned the street where Austin lives.
The four-minute conversation also redacted the reason why the ambulance was needed. The caller said Austin had no chest pain.
‘Can I ask if the ambulance can’t come with flashing lights and sirens? Um, we’re trying to be a little subtle,” the assistant said, according to the recording.
A dispatcher responded that the ambulance would respond as soon as it got close to the house.
“When they enter a residential area, they usually turn them off,” the dispatcher said, adding that emergency sirens and lights are required by law on major roads when ambulances respond to a call.
Austin was on the main floor of the home, said the deputy, who indicated he would wait outside for the ambulance.
The caller asked how long it would take to get to the house. The dispatcher said this was dependent on traffic and road conditions and said first responders would arrive from the nearest available station.
Details of the Fairfax County Public Safety Department’s 911 audio file were first reported by The Daily Beast.
While he recovers, Austin will work from home. His doctors said he was “making good progress during his stay and his strength is recovering.” They said in a statement that the cancer was treated early and his prognosis was “excellent.”
Austin, 70, was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Dec. 22 and underwent surgery to treat the cancer, which was discovered during a routine screening earlier this month.
Dr. John Maddox, the medical director of trauma, and Dr. Gregory Chesnut, the director of the Center for Prostate Disease Research at Walter Reed, said that during Austin’s hospitalization he underwent medical tests and was treated for persistent leg pain. They said he needs to do physiotherapy, but there are no plans for further cancer treatment apart from regular check-ups.
President Joe Biden and senior administration officials were not informed of Austin’s hospitalization until January 4, and Austin kept the cancer diagnosis a secret until January 9. Biden has said Austin’s failure to tell him about the hospitalization was an error in judgment, but the Democratic president insists he still has confidence in his Pentagon chief.
During Austin’s time at Walter Reed, the U.S. late last week launched a series of military strikes against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, targeting dozens of locations linked to their campaign of attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. From his hospital bed, Austin juggled senior military leaders, including Gen. Erik Kurilla, head of U.S. Central Command, and meetings at the White House to assess, order and ultimately review the attacks via secure video.
However, the lack of transparency about Austin’s hospitalization has led the administration and Defense Department to revise procedures for notifying the White House and others if a Cabinet member needs to transfer decision-making authority to a deputy, like Austin did during his first surgery and part of his last hospital stay. And the White House chief of staff directed Cabinet members to notify his office if they were ever unable to perform their duties.
Austin’s secrecy also drew criticism from members of Congress on both sides of the political aisle, and Rep. Mike Rogers, an Alabama Republican and chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said he has opened a formal investigation into the matter. Others openly called for Austin’s resignation, but the White House has said the Pentagon chief’s job is safe.
It is still unclear when Austin will return to his Pentagon office or how his cancer treatment will affect his work, travel and other public activities in the future. Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks has taken on some of his daily duties while he recovers.
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Follow the AP’s coverage of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at https://apnews.com/hub/lloyd-austin.