The Pentagon reported that U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been hospitalized since Monday due to complications arising from a minor medical procedure, and although it did not give further details citing "privacy" reasons, it stressed that the official "is recovering well."
The information was given Friday by Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder of the Air Force, and was the first official acknowledgment that Austin had been admitted — five days earlier — to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Ryder said Friday that it's unclear when Austin will be discharged, but said the secretary is "recovering well and expects to fully resume activities today."
The Pentagon said Austin suffered "complications following a recent elective medical procedure," but declined to clarify what the procedure was or what complications he suffered.
An elective medical procedure is an operation that patients need to have, but not immediately. Unlike emergency surgery, it is planned ahead of time.
The Pentagon's failure to disclose Austin's hospitalization is contrary to standard practice with other senior U.S. and Cabinet officials, including the President.
The Pentagon Press Association, which represents members of the media covering the Department of Defense, sent a letter of protest to Ryder and Chris Meagher, assistant secretary of defense for public affairs.
Austin's schedule is mainly occupied by the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. Photo: EFE/Government of Israel.
"The fact that he has been at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for four days and that the Pentagon is so far alerting the public late on a Friday afternoon is a scandal," the Pentagon Press Association said in its letter.
"At a time when there are growing threats to U.S. service members in the Middle East, and when the United States is playing key national security roles in the Israel-Ukraine wars, it is particularly important for the American public to be informed about the health status and decision-making ability of their top defense leader," add the letter.
Ryder said it was an "evolving situation" and that due to medical and privacy concerns, the department did not make Austin's absence public. He declined to elaborate on the medical procedure or Austin's health condition.
In a statement, Ryder said that, at all times, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks "was prepared to act on behalf of the secretary and exercise her powers, if necessary."
Austin, 70, spent 41 years in the military, retiring as a four-star general in 2016.