White House not told for days that US defense secretary had been hospitalized

• Lloyd Austin was admitted to Walter Reed Medical Center.
• The White House was not informed about the hospitalization until Thursday.
• Austin has accepted responsibility for the lack of communication.

At least one U.S. official has informed the media that the Biden administration was not informed for days about the hospitalization of U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Admitted to the Walter Reed Medical Center on Monday due to complications following surgery was Mr. Austin, 70.

The U.S. partner informed that the White House did not know about this until at least Thursday morning. Mr. Austin has accepted responsibility for the lack of communication.

“I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed,” he said in a statement.

“I commit to doing better.”

The defense secretary sits just below the president in the chain of command for the US military.

Mr. Austin added that it was “important to say: this was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure”.

“I am very glad to be on the mend and look forward to returning to the Pentagon soon.”

A defense department spokesperson quoted the news agency mentioned that he resumed his full duties on Friday, although it is believed that he is still in the hospital. The extent to which Mr. Austin has been able to carry out his responsibilities due to his illness is not clear, nor is the level of support provided by Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks.

Officials disclosed that she periodically assumed his duties during his hospitalization, even while she was on holiday in Puerto Rico. Meanwhile, Joe Biden reportedly had a “warm” conversation with Mr. Austin on Saturday.

“The president has full confidence in Secretary Austin. He’s looking forward to him being back at the Pentagon,” one official told the news.

Republicans are among those to have expressed serious concern over the situation.

“The secretary of defense is the key link in the chain of command between the president and the uniformed military, including the nuclear chain of command, when the weightiest of decisions must be made in minutes,” Senator Tom Cotton in a statement.

“If this report is true, there must be consequences for this shocking breakdown.”

The Pentagon Press Association issued a letter to the Pentagon on Friday, criticizing the apparent lack of transparency.

“At a time when there are growing threats to US military service members in the Middle East and the US is playing key national security roles in the wars in Israel and Ukraine, the American public must be informed about the health status and decision-making ability of its top defense leader,” it said.

Mr Austin, a retired four-star general, became the first African-American defense secretary in 2020.

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