Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was admitted to the critical care unit Sunday evening after being previously hospitalized for bladder problems, top doctors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center said in a statement.
They said in a statement that the change in care was prompted after he was examined and evaluated for an “urgent bladder issue” that led to his admission to the hospital Sunday afternoon.
He handed over his duties to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks around 4:55 p.m. Sunday, and the White House, Joint Chiefs of Staff and Congress were notified, Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said.
Austin's security personnel took him to Walter Reed in Washington, where they keep “unclassified and classified communications systems necessary to perform their duties,” Ryder said.
The White House and Congress have been informed of his condition, along with Hicks and Gen. Charles Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“At this time, it is unclear how long Secretary Austin will remain in the hospital,” doctors said in a statement from Walter Reed Sunday night.
On Monday, the Ministry of Defense announced that Mr. Austin's trip to Brussels and Germany, scheduled for Tuesday through Saturday, had been cancelled.
During his stay in Brussels, he was scheduled to attend the monthly meetings of the Ukrainian Defense Liaison Group and the NATO Defense Ministers' Meeting.
“The Secretary will no longer be traveling to Brussels and Wednesday's Ukraine Defense Liaison Group will be held virtually,” the defense official said. “We will provide further information in the coming days.”
Austin underwent minimally invasive surgery for prostate cancer in December. It was later revealed that the procedure caused her to develop a bladder infection and abdominal problems, which resulted in her being hospitalized for several days.
“The current bladder issues are not expected to alter his expected full recovery,” Walter Reed Trauma Director Dr. John Maddox and Prostate Disease Research Director Dr. Gregory Chesnutt said in a statement. Ta.
“His cancer prognosis remains good,” they said.
Earlier this month, Austin publicly apologized for the delay in reporting his hospitalization to the White House. He added that the Department of Defense has put in place procedures for timely notification in the future.
“This experience taught me that getting this kind of job means losing some of the privacy that most of us expect,” Austin said at a Feb. 1 press conference. “The American people have a right to know whether their leaders are in the right.'' You are experiencing a health problem that may affect your ability to perform your job, even temporarily. ”
