Cancer diagnosis kept secret
US Secretary of Defense Austin apologizes
February 1, 2024, 7:43 p.m
Defense Secretary Austin hid a cancer diagnosis and hospital stay from his boss, US President Biden. At a press conference he admits that he didn’t handle it correctly. But he also gets substantive and warns of a “dangerous moment” in the Middle East.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has publicly apologized for keeping his diagnosis of cancer and his hospital stay a secret. “I want to be very clear that we didn’t handle this properly,” Austin said at a news conference in Washington. “I apologize to my colleagues and the American people.”
Prostate cancer was discovered in December in 70-year-old Austin. After a minor operation on December 22nd, he initially returned home. He was admitted to Walter Reed Military Hospital on January 1 due to complications. However, the White House was not informed of this until January 4th and Congress a day later. US President Joe Biden only found out about the cancer diagnosis on January 9th. The White House and the Pentagon launched internal investigations into the case.
“I should have told the president about my cancer diagnosis,” Austin admitted. He apologized “directly” to Biden. After a follow-up examination, two doctors said, according to the Pentagon, that the cancer had been “treated early and effectively.” Austin’s prognosis is “excellent.” The minister stated that he was still only able to use one of his legs to a limited extent. He currently uses a golf cart to get around the Pentagon building. Republican lawmakers have called for the Pentagon chief to be fired. The Democrat Biden criticized a lack of communication, but said he continued to have confidence in his defense secretary.
A “dangerous moment”
However, Austin also became content. He described the situation in the Middle East after the deadly attack by pro-Iranian militias on American soldiers in Jordan as a “dangerous moment.” “The president will not tolerate attacks on American troops, and neither will I,” he said. But they want to avoid a major conflict in the region. “But we want to hold the people responsible for this accountable,” warned Austin, announcing a multi-stage response from the US.
Two US soldiers were killed in the drone attack near the Syrian border on Sunday. Numerous other soldiers were injured. The US government blamed the attack on the Islamic Resistance in Iraq group, which had previously claimed responsibility. It is a kind of umbrella group for pro-Iranian militias in Iraq, which have been operating together under this general name since October 7th.
Austin said it was unclear how much Iran knew about the attack beforehand. But in principle it doesn’t matter, since Iran finances these groups and sometimes also trains them. And without this kind of support, such attacks on US bases would not happen. At the same time, Austin made it clear: “We are not at war with Iran.”
Since the Gaza war between Israel and the Islamist Hamas began in October, pro-Iranian militias have carried out almost daily attacks on US military bases in Iraq and Syria. The US government responded with air strikes in both countries. In addition, the Yemeni Houthis – in solidarity with Hamas – repeatedly attack freighters in the Red Sea. In response, the US and Britain, with the support of allies, carried out military strikes against the Iranian-backed militia in Yemen.