A Pentagon Mystery: Why Was Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's Hospital Stay Kept Secret For Days?

WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) — Senior Leadership of the Biden Administration, leading Pentagon representatives, and Congressional members were left in the dark for several days concerning Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s hospitalization, according to U.S. officials who spoke under anonymity on Saturday. Questions about the health status of Austin and the secrecy surrounding it continue to rise.

The two officials claimed that the Pentagon had not disclosed Austin's hospital stay starting Monday at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to the White House National Security Council or the principal advisor Jake Sullivan until Thursday.

It's conspicuous that the Pentagon kept mum about Austin’s hospitalization for so many days, which suggests a severe lack of openness about his illness, its severity and his expected discharge date. Such opacity, especially when America is grappling with numerous national security crises, is contrary to standard practices adopted with the President and other top U.S. officials and Cabinet members.

Austin, in an issued statement on Saturday evening, apologized for the miscommunication and committed to promoting transparency moving ahead. He emphasized that the medical procedure was his private matter and he was accountable for decisions made regarding its disclosure. Austin, 70, is still in the hospital due to complications after a minor elective medical process, as told by his press secretary. Austin while assuring that he's recovering well, didn’t reveal much about his illness.

The lack of knowledge among senior Pentagon service leaders about Austin’s hospitalization until Friday has also been confirmed by other U.S. officials. The White House was reportedly first informed on Thursday by Politico. Congress members were only briefed about this late Friday, while the Department's statement about Austin’s hospital stay came just a few minutes after 5 p.m when most Pentagon staff thought Austin was vacationing.

Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks took over in the absence of Austin and had set up a communication line to assist her in her duties while in Puerto Rico. Meanwhile, Major Gen. Pat Ryder of the Air Force revealed that Austin is on the road to recovery and resumed his responsibilities from the hospital on Friday evening. However, he didn't disclose anything more about Austin’s health condition or why it was kept under wraps for so long.

Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton deemed the delay in alerting officials unacceptable, placing the Defense Secretary as a critical link in the chain of command that could have potentially disastrous consequences. The White House, meanwhile, did not inform when or how they were made aware of Austin's hospitalization.

The Pentagon Press Association criticized the late disclosure of Austin's hospital stay, calling it an outrage for endangering the security of U.S. military service members in the Middle East and the U.S.’ pivotal national security roles in ongoing Israeli and Ukrainian wars.

In contrast, other senior U.S. leaders had previously been very transparent about their medical issues. For instance, the public had known a week in advance about Attorney General Merrick Garland's routine medical procedure in 2022.

With Austin’s hospitalization, the stability of the U.S. military efforts in Iraq and Syria is now being threatened, as Iranian militias continually target bases housing U.S. troops. Austin plays a central role in these sensitive, high-level discussions and decisions, including the provision of weapons and training to Ukraine and supporting Israel in their war against Hamas.