Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin returned to work in the Pentagon on Monday for the first time since his initially undisclosed Jan. 1 hospitalization, the Pentagon said in a statement.
Austin had been working from home since his discharge from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Jan. 15, following a closeted two-week stay to address complications that arose from a Dec. 22 procedure to treat prostate cancer, the Department of Defense (DOD) said in an emailed statement. On Friday, after a planned post-surgery check-up, Austin’s doctors said he was expected to make a full recovery and that he has no further need for treatment beyond some physical therapy and scheduled follow-up appointments.
“He continues to recover well and is expected to make a full recovery. Secretary Austin’s prostate cancer was treated early and effectively, and his prognosis is excellent,” Austin’s providers said at the time. (RELATED: Pentagon Refuses To Answer Basic Questions About Lloyd Austin 911 Call After Promising ‘Transparency’)
Roughly one week after he underwent non-invasive surgery to treat prostate cancer that was not disclosed to the president or other national security and defense officials, Austin was transported in an ambulance to Walter Reed after experiencing nausea and severe pain in his legs and abdominal area. Doctors placed him in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on Jan. 2 to treat a urinary tract infection, but he received only non-surgical care and never underwent general anesthesia.
The public did not learn of his hospitalization until Jan. 5, shortly after Congress was notified and just one day after President Biden, Austin’s deputy and top national security officials received the news. He resumed full duties as secretary of defense that same day.
The Pentagon has said the chain of command remained unbroken throughout the period of Austin’s undisclosed hospital stay. However, lawmakers say questions remain about whether the Pentagon was fully prepared to plan ahead and respond to global crises.
I am outraged and deeply saddened by the deaths of three of our U.S. service members and the wounding of other American troops in an attack last night against U.S. and Coalition forces, who were deployed to a site in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border to work for the…
— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) January 28, 2024
During his hospitalization, Austin transferred “certain operational authorities” that require “constant secure communications capabilities” to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told CNN. Hicks, who was on vacation in Puerto Rico at the time, had access to a secure communications suite and conducted some routine business on Austin’s behalf without knowing the reasoning behind the transfer.
Austin’s return to the Pentagon follows a month of intense conflict in the Middle East, including an Iranian-backed militia attack on Jan. 28 that killed three U.S. troops and injuring at least 34.
Austin also ordered the military to execute combined attacks with the United Kingdom on Houthi military capabilities in Yemen.
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