The US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is said to have been in the hospital since the turn of the year. The Pentagon is said to have only published the whereabouts days later. The opposition is calling for his dismissal.
According to the Pentagon, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin remains in the hospital – there is no date for his release yet. Austin is recovering and in good shape, the US Department of Defense announced on Monday evening (local time). “He is no longer in intensive care and is recovering in a more private area of the hospital,” it said.
Austin continues to have symptoms, but his prognosis is good. The Pentagon continued to provide no information about the medical reason for Austin’s hospitalization. The hospital stay caused a lot of excitement because the ministry initially did not make it public.
Opposition calls for Lloyd Austin to resign
The White House has rejected calls for Austin to resign. “The President has and will continue to have full confidence in Defense Secretary Austin,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Monday who were traveling with US President Joe Biden aboard the presidential plane Air Force One. “The most important thing is that he gets well and returns to the Pentagon.”
The opposition Republicans had called for Austin to resign or be fired. The Pentagon chief had already been admitted to a clinic on New Year’s Day due to complications from a previous procedure – but the ministry only announced this publicly last Friday. US President Joe Biden was reportedly not initially informed. Austin apologized for the information policy on Saturday evening.
Kathleen Hicks is said to have stepped in for Austin while on vacation
The Pentagon not only informed about Austin’s hospital stay very late, but also held back on details. The ministry did not provide any information about what type of procedure had caused complications or what treatment was necessary. Several US media outlets, including NBC, reported, citing government circles, that Austin’s deputy Kathleen Hicks stepped in from vacation in Puerto Rico and took on some tasks from there.
Source: Stern
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