WASHINGTON — The Pentagon on Sunday released new details about Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's ongoing hospitalization. He said he underwent a medical procedure on December 22, went home a day later and was admitted to the intensive care unit on January 1 when he began experiencing severe pain.
The latest information came as members of both parties in Congress expressed keen concerns about the secrecy of Austin's hospital stay and the fact that the president and other senior leaders remained in the dark about it for days.
However, the statement, issued by Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, did not provide details about the medical procedure or what actually happened Monday that left Austin in the intensive care unit at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
Ryan said Austin was placed in the hospital's intensive care unit “due to his medical needs, but then remained in that location in part due to hospital space and privacy considerations.”
The Pentagon's failure to disclose Austin's hospitalization for days, including to President Joe Biden, the National Security Council and top Pentagon leaders, reflects a stunning lack of transparency about his illness, how serious it was and when it might occur released. Such secrecy, 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.
Ryder said the National Security Council and Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks were not notified until Thursday, Jan. 4, that Austin had been hospitalized since Jan. 1. Ryder said Austin's chief of staff, Kelly Magsamen, was ill and “was unable to provide notifications prior to that time.” He said she notified Hicks and the national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, on Thursday.
After being briefed, Hicks began preparing statements to send to Congress and made plans to return to Washington. Hicks was on leave in Puerto Rico but had brought communications equipment with him to stay in touch and had already taken on some secretary-level duties on Tuesday.
The Pentagon did not say whether Hicks received an explanation Tuesday about why she took on some of Austin's duties, but temporary transfers of authority are not unusual and often occur without detailed explanations. Hicks decided not to return after being told Austin would resume full control on Friday.
Biden was told by Sullivan on Thursday about Austin's medical stay, according to three people with knowledge of the hospitalization who were not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
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,” he said, acknowledging concerns about transparency. “But it is important to say: this was my medical procedure and I take full responsibility for my disclosure decisions.”
Austin, 70, remains in the hospital and officials could not say how long he will remain 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.
Sen. Roger Wicker, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the episode is eroding confidence in the Biden administration and called on the department to immediately provide lawmakers with a “full account of the facts.”
“I am pleased to hear that Secretary Austin's condition is improving and I wish him a speedy recovery,” Wicker said in a statement. “The fact remains, however, that the Defense Department deliberately withheld the Secretary of Defense's medical condition for days. is unacceptable.”
It's not just Republicans who are expressing alarm. In a joint statement, Reps. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., and Adam Smith, D-Wash., said they were “concerned about the way the disclosure of the Secretary's condition was handled.”
Among the questions they had were what the medical procedure entailed and the resulting complications, how and when the delegation of his responsibilities took place, and the reason for the delay in notifying the president and lawmakers. Rogers is chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and Smith is the panel's top Democrat.
“Transparency is critical,” the two lawmakers said. “Austin “must provide these additional details regarding his health and decision-making process over the past week as soon as possible.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed support for Austin at a news conference in Qatar on Sunday.
“He is an extraordinary leader in this country, in uniform and now out of uniform,” Blinken said. “And it was a highlight of my service to be able to serve alongside him.” He added: “I'm really looking forward to seeing him fully recovered and working side by side over the next year.”
Ryder said Austin is able to perform his full duties, has secure communications at Walter Reed and is in contact with his senior team, receiving updates and providing guidance. He said he doesn't know if Austin will hold in-person briefings next week.
The Pentagon Press Association, which represents journalists covering the Defense Department, sent a letter of protest Friday evening, calling the delay in alerting the public “a shame.”
“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,” the group said in its letter.
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.
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Associated Press writers Zeke Miller, Michael Balsamo and Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report.