Lloyd J. Austin III, the U.S. Secretary of Defense and the first Black man to hold that position, has been diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer. It is why he was recently hospitalized for several days, leading to him transferring his office’s powers to his deputy, though he had neither informed the White House nor his deputy why.
Austin, 70, had his prostate removed on Dec. 22, following a routine screening, then suffered a serious urinary tract infection complication — the symptoms of which included severe abdominal, hip, and leg pain and nausea — from the previous operation. That resulted in another surgery on Jan. 1.
The revelations only came to light Tuesday under pressure from the administration and members of Congress, including from his party. A Pentagon statement from his doctors, John Maddox and Gregory Chesnut, at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., outlined Austin’s condition and treatment. His prognosis is favorable, and Pentagon officials “anticipate a full recovery,” according to Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder.
Still, there was a significant delay between the time Austin was treated and when he revealed to President Joe Biden and Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks the reason for his absence. He didn’t reveal to the President until Jan. 4 that he had been in the hospital and had transferred some of his duties to Hicks, who assumed them while on vacation in Puerto Rico. The public and Congress weren’t told until Jan. 5 that Austin had been hospitalized, by which time he had resumed his full duties while still at Walter Reed.
And nobody in positions of power knew anything about Austin’s prostate cancer until Tuesday.
The delayed revelations have led some Republicans, including Sens. Tom Cotton and Roger Wiger (of Arkansas and Mississippi, respectively), to blast the administration and call for Austin’s ouster. Many — including some Democrats — criticized the administration for its lack of transparency and te possibility that U.S. defense forces could’ve been put at needless risk.
On Jan. 4, while Austin was in the hospital, the U.S. military killed a militant and his aide in Baghdad. Pentagon officials insist that clearance for that military operation had been given in advance of Austin’s hospitalization.
The Pentagon countered that Austin concealed his health scare because he found it “deeply personal,” Ryder said.
Austin on Saturday acknowledged in a statement that he understood “the media concerns about transparency and I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed” — but even then, didn’t mention anything about prostate cancer. His statement went on to say, “I commit to doing better. But this is important to say: This was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure.”
The President isn’t considering firing Austin, according to National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, who added that Biden “respects the fact that Secretary Austin took ownership for the lack of transparency.”
Former President Trump, the front-runner for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election, unleashed a scathing criticism of Austin and his “boss, Crooked Joe Biden.” The 45th president said Austin deserves to be fired for “improper professional conduct and dereliction of duty.”
To keep this from happening again, the Pentagon said it has taken steps to ensure that “proper and timely notification has been made to the President and White House and, as appropriate, the United States Congress and the American public” anytime the defense secretary needs to transfer his authorities. Those that must be notified in advance now include the Pentagon’s general counsel, the chair and vice chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Combatant Commanders, service secretaries, the service chiefs of staff, the White House Situation Room, and the senior staff of the secretary and deputy secretary of defense.
