Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin underwent a non-surgical procedure under general anesthesia to resolve a bladder issue on Monday, officials said in a statement.
Austin was admitted to the hospital on Sunday for what the Pentagon called an “emergent bladder issue” and was moved to the critical care unit later that evening for further care after a round of initial tests, the Pentagon said in a statement. His doctors said in a statement he will achieve a full recovery and resume his normal duties as President Joe Biden’s defense secretary as early as Tuesday.
“Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III underwent non-surgical procedures under general anesthesia to address his bladder issue. We anticipate a successful recovery and will closely monitor him overnight,” his physicians, Dr. John Maddox and Dr. Gregory Chesnut, said in the statement. (RELATED: Iran-Backed Attacks Are Hampering US Counter-ISIS Mission In Iraq, Watchdog Report Says)
Austin’s prostate cancer prognosis is “excellent,” they added, referring to the ailment that sent the secretary to the hospital in December and again in January.
“The current bladder issue is not expected to change his anticipated full recovery,” the doctors said. They do not expect him to be in the hospital long.
Austin’s security staff brought him to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Sunday afternoon for “symptoms suggesting an emergent bladder issue,”
The secretary retained his duties at first, but at around 5 p.m. Austin transferred his authorities as secretary to his deputy, Kathleen Hicks.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. C. Q. Brown, the White House staff and other officials had been notified within hours, a deliberate divergence from the way Austin handled his earlier hospitalizations.
Update: Secretary Austin is still at the hospital and receiving treatment. At approximately 4:55 pm today, he transferred the functions and duties of the office of the Secretary of Defense to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks. Full statement: https://t.co/ohOQmlG57x
— Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder (@PentagonPresSec) February 12, 2024
Austin faced harsh criticism from Congress and others after his closeted two-week stay to address complications that arose from a Dec. 22 procedure to treat prostate cancer.
Roughly one week after he underwent non-invasive surgery to treat prostate cancer, an operation 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 complications. Doctors placed him in the Intensive Care Unit on Jan. 2 to treat a urinary tract infection, but he received only non-surgical care and never underwent general anesthesia.
Austin had just returned to work in the Pentagon on Jan. 29 after weeks of recovery at his home in Virginia since his discharge from Walter Reed on Jan. 15.
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