United States: The US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin had a medical procedure and temporarily delegated authority to his deputy as per the Pentagon. The non-surgical, elective operation had nothing to do with his cancer diagnosis. Late last year, Mr. Austin, 70, received a prostate cancer diagnosis.
He received criticism for not disclosing his December and January hospital stays. Maj Gen Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said in a statement on Friday night that Mr. Austin transferred authority during a “successful, elective, and minimally invasive” procedure. The defence secretary’s bladder problems after his cancer treatment continue to bother him.
According to Maj Gen Ryder, his excellent cancer prognosis was unaffected by the elective treatment. While receiving treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday evening, Mr. Austin temporarily delegated his responsibilities to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks. Earlier on Friday, Maj Gen Ryder announced that notice had also been given to Congress and the White House.
Before this, Mr. Austin had issued an apology for not disclosing past hospital admissions, which had drawn criticism from both Democrats and Republicans due to issues with security and openness.
One of the most significant cabinet members is the secretary of Defence, who is ranked just below the president in the US military’s chain of command. The disclosure failure led to the start of three different investigations.
In late February, Mr. Austin appeared before Congress regarding the incident and accepted responsibility for his error.
“I should have promptly informed the president, my team, Congress, and the American people about my cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment. We did not handle this right. And I did not handle it right,” he told lawmakers.
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