Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had to be hospitalized this Sunday after presenting symptoms that point to “a bladder problem,” the Pentagon reported in a statement.
Austin was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
around 2:20 p.m., Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, said.
He noted that the Secretary of Defense
“will maintain the functions and duties of his position
,” and that the White House was notified of the hospitalization.
Austin's new visit to the hospital comes less than a month after the 70-year-old official was at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center without the president, Joe Biden, being informed.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin during a visit to Tel Aviv, Israel, on December 18, 2023. Associated Press
Walter Reed Hospital reported in early January that Austin was receiving treatment for prostate cancer, of which the White House was not notified until days later.
On December 22, 2023, after consulting with his medical team, Austin entered a hospital and underwent a
minimally invasive surgical procedure
called a prostatectomy, to treat and cure prostate cancer.
“Secretary Austin recovered uneventfully from his surgery and returned home the next morning.
“His prostate cancer was detected early and
his prognosis is excellent
,” the hospital said in a statement at the time.