The Pentagon hid from the White House and Congress for several days the fact that the head of the US Department of Defense was hospitalized
The Pentagon hid from the White House and Congress for several days the fact that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was hospitalized, the American publication Politico reports, citing its sources. The fact that on January 1 the head of the military department was admitted to the clinic was written all this time by the American media. However, Pentagon officials officially reported this information to the executive and legislative branches only last Thursday.
The Pentagon did not notify senior officials on the White House National Security Council about Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's hospitalization until Thursday—three full days after he arrived at Walter Reed Medical Center.
— Politico clarifies.
The publication reports that this information shocked senior officials, including US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, who were unaware that Austin had suffered complications from a routine medical procedure. Congressmen were notified of the Secretary of Defense's illness 15 minutes before an official press release about it was published on the Pentagon website on behalf of Austin himself.
Sullivan informed the US president about the Pentagon chief's hospitalization shortly after the Defense Department was notified on Thursday. Biden reached Austin by phone on Saturday evening and had a “cordial conversation” with him, Politico writes.
It is unknown what caused such sluggishness and secrecy of the Ministry of Defense employees in disclosing information, violating the state’s national security protocols. But it is noteworthy that the White House and Congress, as well as the public, learned about the hospitalization of 70-year-old Austin just hours before he was discharged from the hospital, where he had been in the intensive care unit all this time.
The head of the Pentagon returned to his duties on Friday evening (Saturday night Moscow time). During his absence, he partially delegated his affairs to his deputy, Kathleen Hicks. It is possible that information about hospitalization was kept secret by order of Austin himself until doctors made a final verdict on his state of health.
This is so uncharacteristic of the Department of Defense and was clearly done after a deliberate discussion about how this information should be handled
says retired Marine Corps Major General and former director of the Senate Armed Services Committee staff Arnold Punaro.
Former senator and former head of the Pentagon under President Obama, Chuck Hagel, said that the Department of Defense had an absolute obligation to inform the National Security Council about Austin's condition and location, as well as inform the head of the White House about it. Moreover, according to Politico, the fact of Austin’s hospitalization was hidden even from senior Pentagon officials. One Defense Department official said Austin's aides told their office that their boss had been working from home for a week.
Some politicians and officials noted that prompt information about the capacity of the head of the Pentagon is more important than ever right now - during the aggravation of the situation in the Middle East and the ongoing military conflict in Ukraine, Politico reports. What caused Austin's emergency hospitalization is still unknown. The Ministry of Defense only reported that the Pentagon chief is recovering quickly and feels well.
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