Defense Secretary Austin takes personal responsibility for keeping hospitalization secret

Vambram · Jan 7, 2024

Defense Secretary Austin takes personal responsibility for keeping hospitalization secret

CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr wrote on X that "The lack of disclosure that Sec Def was ill is a huge strategic failure."

justthenews.com

CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr wrote on X that "The lack of disclosure that Sec Def was ill is a huge strategic failure." Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin took personal responsibility Saturday night for failing to alert the public for five days that he was hospitalized over complications from an elective procedure. “I recognize I could have done better,” he said.
News media, political officials and defense experts expressed alarm that Austin had been hospitalized Monday and the public wasn’t told until a statement issued Friday evening by the Pentagon. CNN reported Saturday night that even President Joe Biden was unaware of Austin’s hospitalization for days. Just the News was unable to immediately corroborate that report.
But the furor across Washington that the highest ranking civilian defense official was out of commission for days without notice prompted Austin to issue a statement.

Some of y'all have probably read news reports about this topic. Is it just me, or is there more to this story that meets the eye?

wing2000 · Jan 7, 2024

Vambram said:
Some of y'all have probably read news reports about this topic. Is it just me, or is there more to this story that meets the eye?

Not really. Austin made a mistake. And he owned up to it.

Vambram · Jan 7, 2024

https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/07/politics/austin-hospitalization-leaders-not-informed

When the deputy secretary of defense began assuming some of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s responsibilities on January 2, not even she knew that it was because Austin was hospitalized, two defense officials told CNN.

Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, the Pentagon’s No. 2 leader, was among the senior leaders kept in the dark about Austin’s true whereabouts until Thursday, three days after the secretary checked into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center following complications from an elective surgery. Not even the president was aware of Austin’s hospitalization until three days into his stay there, CNN previously reported.

The revelation that not even Hicks knew that Austin was hospitalized is sure to add to questions swirling within the administration about why his status was kept secret, not only from the public but from senior national security officials and the White House.

Pommer · Jan 7, 2024

Vambram said:
https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/07/politics/austin-hospitalization-leaders-not-informed

When the deputy secretary of defense began assuming some of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s responsibilities on January 2, not even she knew that it was because Austin was hospitalized, two defense officials told CNN.

Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, the Pentagon’s No. 2 leader, was among the senior leaders kept in the dark about Austin’s true whereabouts until Thursday, three days after the secretary checked into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center following complications from an elective surgery. Not even the president was aware of Austin’s hospitalization until three days into his stay there, CNN previously reported.

The revelation that not even Hicks knew that Austin was hospitalized is sure to add to questions swirling within the administration about why his status was kept secret, not only from the public but from senior national security officials and the White House.

What was “the elective surgery”?

Vambram · Jan 7, 2024

wing2000 said:
Not really. Austin made a mistake. And he owned up to it.

What strikes me as odd, and I am curious as to understand why, is that not even Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks was aware that Security of Defense Austin was in the hospital.

Vambram · Jan 7, 2024

Pommer said:
What was “the elective surgery”?

Currently, I do not know.

Pommer · Jan 7, 2024

Vambram said:
Currently, I do not know.

See, I’m here imagining that whilst doing some yard work at home, Secretary Austin got a piece of rusty nail in his foot and went to have it removed and it got infected and one,two,three, he’s in the hospital for five days.
Now if he had had gallbladder surgery and kept it hush-hush then there’d be a bigger cause for an “issue”.

comana · Jan 7, 2024

Vambram said:
Defense Secretary Austin takes personal responsibility for keeping hospitalization secret

CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr wrote on X that "The lack of disclosure that Sec Def was ill is a huge strategic failure."

justthenews.com

CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr wrote on X that "The lack of disclosure that Sec Def was ill is a huge strategic failure." Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin took personal responsibility Saturday night for failing to alert the public for five days that he was hospitalized over complications from an elective procedure. “I recognize I could have done better,” he said.
News media, political officials and defense experts expressed alarm that Austin had been hospitalized Monday and the public wasn’t told until a statement issued Friday evening by the Pentagon. CNN reported Saturday night that even President Joe Biden was unaware of Austin’s hospitalization for days. Just the News was unable to immediately corroborate that report.
But the furor across Washington that the highest ranking civilian defense official was out of commission for days without notice prompted Austin to issue a statement.

Some of y'all have probably read news reports about this topic. Is it just me, or is there more to this story that meets the eye?

Most likely he just wanted to preserve his privacy. Unfortunately, as a person in his position, he should have notified his hospitalization and who was responsible for his role in his absence.

Hans Blaster · Jan 7, 2024

Vambram said:
What strikes me as odd, and I am curious as to understand why, is that not even Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks was aware that Security of Defense Austin was in the hospital.

And she may find her name before the Senate for Secretary soon if this is the case.

Arcangl86 · Jan 8, 2024

Pommer said:
What was “the elective surgery”?

They won't say. I suspect they expected it to be an outpatient procedure and there were complications but for some reason, the surgery itself was embarrassing so they tried to hide it.

Laodicean60 · Jan 8, 2024

Arcangl86 said:
They won't say. I suspect they expected it to be an outpatient procedure and there were complications but for some reason, the surgery itself was embarrassing so they tried to hide it.

Maybe a nipple piercing but seriously I know he got reprimanded behind the scenes and rightly so.

wing2000 · Jan 9, 2024

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had surgery last month after a prostate cancer diagnosis, officials disclosed Tuesday, detailing for the first time what condition led to medical complications and a lengthy hospitalization that he kept secret from the White House, Congress and the American public for several days.

The condition was disclosed by the Pentagon in a statement by John Maddox and Gregory Chesnut, doctors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. They said that Austin, who is 70, was diagnosed with cancer in December after routine screening and underwent a “minimally invasive surgical procedure” known as a prostatectomy while under general anesthesia.

Following the procedure, he had complications which required several days of hospital care.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/01/09/lloyd-austin-prostate-cancer/

Arcangl86 · Jan 9, 2024

That's not what I would call an "elective procedure." I am concerned that the Secretary of Defense kept something that important from the President.

ETA: In fact, thinking on it a little more, because of the place of the SECDEF in the chain of command and his role in authorizing nuclear attacks, anytime he's under general anesthesia needs to be planned for in advance if possible so that there is alwaysat least an Acting SECDEF. This was a pretty major security lapse.

wing2000 · Jan 9, 2024

The White House ordered cabinet secretaries on Tuesday to keep President Biden’s staff informed when they may not be able to perform their duties after Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III was hospitalized for several days last week without telling the president or his staff.

In a memo, Jeffrey D. Zients, the White House chief of staff, directed cabinet officers to evaluate their current policies for delegating authority when a secretary is incapacitated and to forward those procedures to the White House for review. In the meantime, Mr. Zients made clear that White House officials expected to be kept up to date about developments like major medical issues.

“Notify the Offices of Cabinet Affairs and White House Chief of Staff in the event of a delegation of authority or potential delegation,” Mr. Zients wrote in the memo, which was obtained by The New York Times. “This notification should occur when agencies anticipate or are preparing for a delegation of authority and again when the delegation occurs.” He added that he wanted any such notification in writing.

White House Orders Review After Austin’s Undisclosed Hospitalization

The president’s chief of staff sent a memo to cabinet secretaries reminding them to keep the White House informed when they may not be able to perform their duties.

www.nytimes.com

Vambram · Jan 9, 2024

Why did it take almost 3 years for such a simple memo to be written with instructions about that to the cabinet secretaries and their staff?

Arcangl86 · Jan 9, 2024

Vambram said:
Why did it take almost 3 years for such a simple memo to be written with instructions about that to the cabinet secretaries and their staff?

It was probably assumed not to be needed.

Defense Secretary Austin takes personal responsibility for keeping hospitalization secret

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