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Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has transferred his duties to a deputy as he remains hospitalized for treatment of symptoms “suggestive of an emergency bladder condition,” the Pentagon said.
Austin is in the critical care unit at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, but hospital officials said in a statement Sunday night that it is “unknown how long he will remain there.” .
Defense Department spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder announced in a statement that Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks assumed the Pentagon's top job just before 5 p.m. The White House, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Congress have been notified.
The Secretary of Defense's prompt notification of Austin's hospital visit (the first statement from the Pentagon was released within three hours) failed to notify the administration and the public about Austin's previous hospitalization. This was done after approval.
Ryder said Lloyd was taken to Walter Reed Hospital around 2:20 p.m.
Austin headed to the hospital with unclassified and classified communications systems needed for the mission.
Austin was diagnosed with prostate cancer in early December and underwent surgery to treat the cancer on December 22nd. The surgery required general anesthesia and an overnight stay at Walter Reed Hospital.
He then returned to the hospital on New Year's Day after suffering complications as a result of surgery.
Mr. Austin's unannounced hospitalization was withheld from the media, President Joe Biden and other administration officials for days, raising major questions about transparency within the administration. Republicans have been highly critical of how the Pentagon responded to Austin's illness, and the secretary of defense is scheduled to testify before the House Armed Services Committee later this month about its failure to notify key government leaders. is.
Austin was hospitalized for two weeks and then continued his recovery, working from home for another two weeks.
On February 1st, at his first press conference since being hospitalized, Austin admitted that his response to the diagnosis and hospitalization was a mistake.
“We didn't handle this right, and I didn't handle this right. I should have told the president about the cancer diagnosis. I should have told my team and the American people. And I take full responsibility. I apologize to my teammates and the American people,” Austin said.
Last week, the Office of the Secretary of Defense completed a 30-day review of the notification process for transfer of responsibility.
Rider said in a press conference Thursday that Austin has received the review letter and is reviewing it. Ryder also said that while much of the review is classified, the Pentagon intends to make as much of the review public as possible.
“We remain committed to being as transparent as possible regarding the review and will have further information once the Secretary's review is complete,” Ryder said.
This story has been updated with additional details.
CNN's Natasha Bertrand contributed to this report.
