by The Pentagon announced Sunday that Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III had been taken to a military hospital for treatment for “symptoms suggesting an emerging bladder problem,” and doctors at the hospital later said he was unwell. It was clear how long he would remain there. .
Mr. Austin was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, at 2:20 p.m., said a Pentagon spokesman, Maj. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder. said in the army’s initial statement. He added that the deputy secretary of Defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as well as the White House and members of Congress, had been notified.
In a second statement Sunday night, General Ryder said Austin, 70, had “transferred the functions and duties” of his office to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen H. Hicks around 4:55 p.m.
Other statement, issued Sunday night by two senior doctors at Walter Reed, said Austin had been admitted to the hospital’s critical care unit that night after a series of tests. The doctors, John Maddox and Gregory Chesnut, said it was unclear how long he would remain hospitalized.
Last month, Mr. Austin spent several days at Walter Reed receiving treatment for complications related to recent prostate cancer surgery. Doctors said in their statement Sunday that “his bladder problem is not expected to change his expected full recovery” and that his cancer prognosis remains excellent.
The ads appeared to be aimed at showing transparency around Mr. Austin’s medical condition and emphasized the fact that several senior US government officials had been informed.
Austin came under widespread criticism last month after he initially kept his hospital visit a secret from senior administration officials, including President Biden, the White House national security adviser, the secretary of state and senior Pentagon officials, including those immediately under his command in the office.
Austin had also not informed the president that he had undergone the original surgery in December.
Lawmakers called on the Pentagon to provide answers about why so many officials were kept in the dark. Biden said on Jan. 12 that he still had confidence in Austin. But when the president was asked if it was an error in judgment on Austin’s part not to inform him that he had been out of service, Biden said “yes.”
Austin, a retired four-star Army general and former commander of the United States Central Command, had served in the Army for more than 40 years when he assumed the Pentagon’s top job in 2021. Throughout his career, he has He has tried to avoid attention and has tried to keep many parts of his life out of the public spotlight.
mike ives contributed reports.
