US announces reason for Defense Secretary's hospitalization

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center said Mr. Austin was hospitalized with prostate cancer and was being treated there.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was diagnosed with prostate cancer in early December. He underwent minimally invasive surgery on December 22 to remove his prostate, beginning his treatment, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland said on January 9.

“Secretary Austin recovered smoothly after surgery and returned home the following morning. The prostate cancer was detected early and his prognosis is excellent,” the statement said. He was readmitted to the hospital on January 1 due to complications, including nausea, severe pain in his abdomen, hips and legs, and was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection.

The news of Mr. Austin, 70, being hospitalized was kept secret for days, drawing criticism from the US Department of Defense . Mr. Austin took responsibility on January 6 for not releasing the information, adding that he would “soon return to the Pentagon” and thanked the doctors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Washington on December 6, 2023. Photo: AFP — US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Washington on December 6, 2023. Photo: *AFP*

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on January 9 that President Joe Biden "was just informed of Mr. Austin's situation by his chief of staff this morning."

“It’s not optimal to let a situation like this go on without the commander in chief, the national security adviser, or the Pentagon officials having information,” Kirby said. “We want to make sure that this doesn’t happen again.”

The US Department of Defense previously said the delay in providing information was partly due to Mr. Austin's chief of staff being on sick leave.

Secretary Austin sits directly below President Biden in the military chain of command and is responsible for responding immediately to a national security crisis. The defense secretary needs to be ready to communicate securely with government officials in the event of a nuclear attack, something that would be nearly impossible in a hospital intensive care unit.

Nhu Tam (According to CNN, AFP )

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