Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been hospitalized since Monday, due to complications following a minor elective medical procedure, Air Force Major General Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said Friday. It was the department's first acknowledgement that Austin had been admitted — five days earlier — to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Ryder said Friday that it's not clear when Austin will be released from the hospital but that the secretary is "recovering well and is expecting to resume his full duties today."
The Pentagon's failure to disclose Austin's hospitalization is counter to normal practice with other senior U.S. and Cabinet officials, including the president. The Pentagon Press Association, which represents media members who cover the Defense Department, sent a letter of protest to Ryder and Chris Meagher, who is the assistant defense secretary for public affairs.
"The fact that he has been at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for four days and the Pentagon is only now alerting the public late on a Friday evening is an outrage," the PPA said in its letter. "At a time when there are growing threats to U.S. military service members in the Middle East and the U.S. is playing key national security roles in the wars in Israel and Ukraine, it is particularly critical for the American public to be informed about the health status and decision-making ability of its top defense leader."
Ryder said that this has been an "evolving situation," and due to privacy and medical issues the department did not make Austin's absence public. He declined to provide any other details about Austin's medical procedure or health.
In a statement, Ryder said that at all times, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks "was prepared to act for and exercise the powers of the Secretary, if required."
Austin, 70, spent 41 years in the military, retiring as a four-star Army general in 2016.
