American Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was rushed to the hospital today (Sunday) following a "bladder problem", the Pentagon said.
About a month ago, Austin was released from the hospital, after being hospitalized since the beginning of the year.
He was hospitalized on January 1 due to complications from surgery to remove prostate cancer.
The 70-year-old Austin, who was heavily criticized after it became clear that senior officials in the Pentagon and the White House did not know that he had been hospitalized for three days.
In the wake of the storm, Austin apologized for not "making sure the public was properly informed," and President Joe Biden made it clear he was not considering firing him.
Austin/Reuters
The Secretary of Defense is second only to the president in the chain of command of the US military, and is one of the most senior members of the president's cabinet. Austin's deputy, Kathleen Hicks, was not informed of his hospitalization even though she was asked to take over some of his responsibilities
. The government, White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zeints, last month ordered members of the president's cabinet to notify when they are unable to perform their duties.
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