Even Lloyd Austin’s colleagues did not know that the defense secretary had undergone surgery to treat prostate cancer last month – complications that took him out of commission for five days last week, a Pentagon spokesman acknowledged Tuesday.
Austin had an early prostatectomy on Dec. 22 and had “severe abdominal, hip and leg pain” from a urinary tract infection late on New Year’s Day, his doctor announced.
But it wasn’t until Tuesday that the secretary told President Biden, his subordinates and the public about his cancer diagnosis.
“As far as the situation in terms of elective surgery, we provide that information to you as we receive it,” Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters from a Pentagon briefing room shortly after Austin’s doctors issued their statement. “We got it this afternoon and had it ready minutes before I walked in here.”
Austin, 70, was released from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in DC a day after an initial procedure to remove his prostate. But he returned to hospital a little more than a week later and was moved to intensive care on January 2.
Between January 1 and January 5, Austin was unable to perform his duties — while the Pentagon failed to inform not only Biden of the situation, but also Austin’s deputy, Kathleen Hicks, who was on vacation in Puerto Rico at the time.
The White House said Monday that Austin had resumed his work from his hospital bed.
Lloyd Austin has been hospitalized since Monday, an Air Force general said. Reuters
Hospital officials said the infection has been “cleared” and they expect Austin to make a full recovery, “although this could be a slow process.”
Austin’s chief of staff Kelly Magsamen issued a memorandum on Tuesday announcing that the DoD’s director of administration and management will “immediately lead a review” of the incident and “assess the process and procedures through which the deputy defense secretary was told that he should implement it.” Austin’s function.
However, Magsamen himself blamed the Pentagon for the delayed notification of Austin’s condition, with Ryder saying on Monday that the message was not sent because the chief of staff – responsible for such communications – was ill with the flu at the time. .
The Pentagon blamed Lloyd Austin’s chief of staff, Kelly Magsamen, for the delay in notification of Austin’s condition. Chad J. McNeeley
Ryder told reporters that the Pentagon “recognizes[s] that we need to do a better job in terms of timeliness and transparency in matters, especially the health of the secretary.”
“We’re going to look at what we can do better to put into my own organization on the public affairs side and make sure that we acknowledge and ask those tough questions about making sure that the public … Congress, and the news media have an accurate understanding timely and accurate regarding the Secretary’s status,” he said.
Both Ryder and National Security Council spokesman John Kirby acknowledged Tuesday that the incident represented “a challenge for [Austin’s] credibility,” although the White House insisted that Biden had no plans to fire Austin or ask for his resignation.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby responded to questions about US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during a press briefing at the White House. Reuters
But that did little to assuage the concerns of some in Congress who say Austin should step down because of his disappearing act.
In a letter to Biden on Tuesday, Rep. August Pfluger and Jake Ellzey (R-Texas), Mike Garcia (R-Calif.) and Scott Franklin (R-Fla.) called the secretary’s actions “a flagrant violation of the Pentagon Principles of information and a serious lapse in judgment.”
“It is unacceptable and inappropriate that a key cabinet member responsible for US national security would be absent without leave notice, establishing an alternative chain of command or making relevant members of Congress and the executive branch aware of such absence,” they wrote.
In a meeting Tuesday with the Pentagon Press Association, which represents journalists who cover the DoD, Ryder “apologized for the way the situation was handled and took personal ownership for not rejecting public disclosure sooner.”
“We are also pushing Austin to meet with the media and do a briefing when he returns to address the many questions that everyone has,” PPA said. “We emphasize the damage this has done to the credibility of Austin, as well as the public affairs department and office.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
