US defence secretary takes blame for concealing hospital stay

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US defence secretary Lloyd Austin remained in hospital on Sunday as he faced criticism for concealing his medical condition, even from US President Joe Biden.

The Pentagon did not tell the White House about Austin’s hospitalisation until Thursday — three days after he was admitted on New Year’s Day — according to a person familiar with the matter. The public was only informed that Austin was in hospital late on Friday.

On Saturday, Austin issued a statement saying he understood the “media concerns about transparency”, adding that he “could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed”.

“I commit to doing better,” Austin added. “This was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure.”

On Sunday, Pentagon press secretary Pat Ryder said Austin remained hospitalised and while there was no planned date for his release, he was “recovering well” and “in good spirits”.

The Pentagon has provided scant details on Austin’s medical condition, besides saying he is being treated for “complications following a recent elective medical procedure”.

A White House official said Biden spoke to Austin on Saturday evening and they had a “warm” conversation.

The official added that Biden had “full confidence” in Austin and looked forward to having him back at the Pentagon.

Still, the defence department’s disclosures have raised questions about how and why the secretary’s condition had been concealed, especially at a time of two major wars in Gaza and Ukraine.

The Pentagon first informed the public on Friday that Austin had been admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center “for complications following a recent elective medical procedure” on New Year’s Day.

Ryder said the deputy secretary of defence had been “prepared to act for and exercise the powers of the secretary, if required”.

He said Austin had resumed his duties on Friday evening, including receiving operational updates and providing “necessary guidance to his team”.

Ryder added that the defence secretary “has full access to required secure communications capabilities and continues to monitor DOD’s day-to-day operations worldwide”.

Critics have nevertheless raised alarm bells over the situation.

Roger Wicker, the top Republican on the Senate armed services committee, said it was “unacceptable” that the Pentagon had withheld information about Austin’s condition.

“This episode further erodes trust in the Biden administration, which has repeatedly failed to inform the public in a timely fashion about critical events such as the Chinese spy balloon and the withdrawal from Afghanistan,” he added.

Mike Pence, the former vice-president under Donald Trump, told CNN on Sunday that the “American people have a right to know about his medical condition, about the reasons for it”.

“To think that, at a time when we have allies at war in eastern Europe and here in Israel, that the leader of America’s military at the Pentagon would be out of commission for a number of days, and the president of the United States didn’t know about it, I think it . . . was a dereliction of duty,” Pence added while on a visit to Tel Aviv.

Politico first reported on Saturday that Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, and other White House aides did not know about Austin’s New Year’s Day hospitalisation until January 4. Politico reported that Sullivan then informed Biden about the situation.

Austin, 70, is a retired US Army four-star general. He became secretary of defence in January 2021. He had previously been commander of US Central Command, or Centcom.