Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin remained hospitalized on Sunday night after being rushed to the hospital at the start of the new year after experiencing severe pain as he recovered late last month from an elective procedure.
The Pentagon said in a statement that Austin remained at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center but was “recovering well and in good spirits.”
Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder claimed that Austin resumed his duties on Friday evening and “has received operational updates and has provided necessary guidance to his team.”
“He has full access to required secure communications capabilities and continues to monitor DoD’s day-to-day operations worldwide,” the statement continued. “The Secretary spoke to President Biden yesterday. He has also been in contact with Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. and his senior staff.”
The Wall Street Journal reported that Austin had an undisclosed elective procedure on December 22 during scheduled leave and returned home the following day.
On January 1, Austin experienced “severe pain” and was rushed to Walter Reed where he was admitted into its intensive care unit, the report said.
The report said that the White House was not notified of the situation because Austin’s chief of staff, Kelly Magsamen, was simultaneously out at the same time with the flu and because Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown wasn’t bound to tell the White House as a “subordinate adviser.”
“I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed,” Austin said in the statement. “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.”