US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, battling prostate cancer, was admitted to
an intensive care unit
after being hospitalized for an "urgent bladder problem," the Pentagon said Sunday.
"Tonight, after a series of tests and evaluations, the Secretary was admitted to the intensive care unit at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for supportive care and close monitoring," the statement said.
Deputy Secretary of Defense
Kathleen Hicks
"assumed duties and functions" just before 5:00 p.m. (7 p.m. in Argentina), Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said in a statement, adding that the White House was informed of the hospitalization.
Austin was diagnosed with prostate cancer and recently underwent surgery.
Austin was diagnosed with prostate cancer and recently underwent surgery.
Photo: Reuters
The Secretary of Defense
disappeared from the public scene in late December
and again in early January after suffering complications from cancer treatment,
having initially hidden
both the diagnosis and treatment
from President Joe Biden
and the rest of the government.
This time, the public was alerted about two hours after Austin was sent to the hospital on Sunday afternoon.
Kathleen Hicks, in charge
Austin was taken by his security team to the medical center "to be treated for symptoms that suggested
an emerging bladder problem
," Ryder said.
Kathleen Hicks.
Photo: Alex Wong/ Getty/ AFP
Ryder previously said that Austin maintained "the duties and obligations of his position" but hours later he indicated that
Hicks would assume the position.
"At this time,
it is unclear how long
Secretary Austin will remain hospitalized," according to a statement released later, citing doctors John Maddox and Gregory Chesnut of the hospital.
A "good prognosis"
"The current bladder problem is not expected to change his expected full recovery.
His prognosis for cancer remains excellent
," they added.
The Defense Secretary apologized earlier this month after being heavily criticized for keeping previous hospitalizations a secret.
Austin apologized earlier this month after coming under fire for keeping previous hospitalizations a secret.
Photo: SIMON WOHLFAHRT / AFP
"I should have informed the president of my cancer diagnosis," he told reporters on February 1.
At the time, he said he was still recovering,
his legs hurt and he used a golf cart
to get around the Pentagon.
These absences, as well as the current hospital stay, come as the United States
faces a spiraling crisis in the Middle East
, with U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria facing near-daily attacks from Iranian-backed fighters. in retaliation for Washington's strong support for Israel.
The senior US official is also
a key figure
in the Biden administration's attempts to maintain
support for Ukraine's fight
against the Russian invasion, in a context in which Republican congressmen refuse to authorize new funds for military aid to Kiev. .
Lloyd Austin is also a key figure in the Biden administration's attempts to maintain support for Ukraine's struggle.
Photo: Reuters
Several Republican lawmakers
previously called for Austin's ouster,
but Biden, while regretting the Pentagon chief's error in judgment, has said he remains confident in his defense secretary.
Austin,
an imposing man standing over six feet tall
, is a very private person who shies away from media attention, which, he said, influenced his decision to keep his cancer diagnosis a secret.
But he admitted that "taking on this kind of work
means losing some of the privacy
that most of us expect."
"The American people have a right to know if their leaders are facing health problems that could affect their ability to perform their duties, even temporarily," he added.
With information from AFP