U.S. Secretary of Defense: I Take Responsibility for Keeping My Hospital Stay Confidential

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated in a release on Saturday that he takes "full responsibility" for the secrecy surrounding his week-long hospital stay due to an unspecified medical condition. Austin (70 years old) was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on the first day of the new year due to what the Department of Defense (Pentagon) described as "complications after a recent elective procedure," which the department kept confidential for five days. Senator Roger Wicker, the senior Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, accused the department of failing to promptly inform Congress of such matters as required by law. However, it remains unclear how widespread the information was even within President Joe Biden's administration. An anonymous U.S. official stated that Biden was only informed on Thursday evening. The official noted that Biden still maintains confidence in Austin. Another official mentioned that Biden and Austin spoke together on Saturday evening. Austin is second in command to Biden at the top of the U.S. military chain of command, and his duties require him to be available at any moment to address any form of national security crisis. It is still unclear to what extent his duties were delegated to his deputy, Kathleen Hicks, or whether Austin participated in any significant decisions during his absence. The department has not clarified the reason for Austin's treatment or whether he lost consciousness during the past week and has not provided details on the potential timing of his discharge from the hospital. In a written statement, Austin said, "I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring people were appropriately informed, and I am committed to doing better." He added, "But it is important to say that this was my private medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions regarding disclosure." Wicker stated that this incident has eroded public trust in the Biden administration, citing previous failures to quickly disclose information about national security incidents, including the appearance of a Chinese spy balloon over the U.S. last year. A spokesperson stated on Saturday that Austin resumed his full duties on Friday evening but remained in the hospital.