Minister released from hospital
Austin hopes to return to the Pentagon quickly
January 15, 2024, 7:02 p.m
The White House called his behavior “suboptimal.” Meanwhile, Lloyd Austin is keen to provide detailed information about his health. The US Secretary of Defense, who has come under criticism, has left the hospital. But he hasn’t returned to his place of work yet.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has been released from the hospital after two weeks. The 70-year-old, who initially kept his hospital stay secret from both the White House and the US Congress, thanked the medical staff at Walter Reed Military Hospital at the beginning of the week for his treatment as a result of cancer. He is now continuing to recover and will initially carry out his duties from home. But he was eager to “return to the Pentagon as quickly as possible,” Austin added.
The Pentagon’s weeks-long silence about the minister’s illness caused a great stir in Washington – especially since Austin fell ill at a time of great security policy challenges – in particular due to the Gaza and Ukraine wars. The White House described the minister’s behavior as “sub-optimal.” President Joe Biden nevertheless stood behind Austin and rejected calls for his resignation from the opposition Republicans.
According to his ministry, Austin was diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer in December. 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. Biden didn’t learn of the cancer diagnosis until January 9th. The White House and the Pentagon launched internal investigations into the case.