The Pentagon said Austin is “recovering well” and will resume his duties on Friday evening
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been hospitalized since Monday night due to complications from a recent elective medical procedure, the Pentagon announced Friday night.
“On the evening of January 1, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center due to complications following a recent elective medical procedure,” Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement.
He later added: “He is recovering well and expects to resume his full duties today,” explaining that Austin remains in the hospital.
Another Defense Department spokesperson declined to specify what procedure was performed in Austin other than to describe it as a “minor and optional procedure.”
No information was provided about the complications Austin experienced following the procedure that required him to be hospitalized.
He added: “At all times, the Deputy Minister of Defense was prepared to act and exercise the minister's powers, if necessary.”
When asked why it took so long for the Pentagon to disclose that a key figure in the Biden administration had been hospitalized, Rader described an “evolving situation.”
“We had to take into account a number of factors, including medical and personal privacy issues,” Ryder said. “We are now in a position to keep you updated.”
Another Defense Department spokesman said Austin did not have to delegate his authority because the deputy secretary of defense, who made routine decisions on his behalf, was automatically assigned that responsibility.
Before being hospitalized, Austin authorized a drone strike in Baghdad that killed the leader of an Iranian-backed militia that the United States holds responsible for some attacks against American forces in Iraq and Syria, Ryder said.
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