A number of American officials said that many senior service leaders in the Pentagon were not aware until Friday (US time) that Austin was in the hospital. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. POLITICO He was first to report that the White House learned of his condition on Thursday.
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Rader said members of Congress were notified late Friday afternoon, and other officials said lawmakers were notified after 5 p.m. It was not clear when senior staff at Austin were told, but throughout the Pentagon, several employees found out when the department issued a statement about Austin's hospital stay just minutes after 5 p.m. Many thought Austin was on vacation for the week.
Who was responsible?
Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks, who took office while Austin was hospitalized, was also absent. A US official said a communications system with her in Puerto Rico allowed her to carry out the mission while Austin, who spent 41 years in the Army and retired as a four-star Army general in 2016, was incapacitated.
Austin is recovering well and resumed full duties Friday evening from his hospital bed, Ryder said. When Ryder was asked why the hospital stay was kept secret for so long, he said it was an “evolving situation,” and due to privacy and medical issues, the Pentagon did not announce Austin’s absence publicly. Ryder declined to provide any further details about the medical procedure or Austin's health condition.
Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton called on Austin to explain the reported delay in notifying officials.
“The Secretary of Defense is the key link in the chain of command between the President and the regular military, including the nuclear chain of command, when the most important decisions must be made in minutes,” Cotton said in a statement. Austin did not immediately tell the White House that “there must be consequences to this shocking collapse.”
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant in Israel last month.credit: AP
The White House declined to say when or how it was notified of Austin's hospitalization. She referred questions to the Pentagon.
The Pentagon Press Association, which represents members of the media who cover the Department of Defense, sent a letter of protest to Rader and Chris Meagher, assistant secretary of defense for public affairs.
“The fact that he has been at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for four days and that the Pentagon is now only alerting the public late on Friday evening is infuriating,” PPA said in its letter. “At a time when threats to U.S. military service members in the Middle East are increasing and the United States plays key national security roles in the wars in Israel and Ukraine, it is especially important for the American public to be informed about the health status and decision-making capacity of its top defense commander.
is this happened before?
Other senior US leaders were more transparent about the hospital stay. When Attorney General Merrick Garland went for a routine medical procedure in 2022, his office notified the public a week in advance and specified the expected length of his absence and when he would return to work.
Austin's hospitalization comes as Iranian-backed militias have repeatedly fired drones, missiles and projectiles at bases where US forces are stationed in Iraq and Syria, prompting the Biden administration to respond on a number of occasions. Those strikes often involve sensitive high-level discussions and decisions by Austin and other key military leaders.
The United States is also the main organizer behind a new international maritime coalition that is using ships and other assets to patrol the southern Red Sea to deter ongoing attacks on commercial ships by Houthi militants in Yemen.
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In addition, the administration, especially Austin, has been at the forefront of efforts to provide weapons and training to Ukraine, and he has also been communicating frequently with the Israelis about their war against Hamas.
AP
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