U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was hospitalized for much of the past week.
It’s now known that top Pentagon leadership did not inform the White House, the National Security Council, nor the House Armed Services Committee about the procedure that kept the nation’s top military official incapacitated for several days.
On Sunday, from their authority on the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, Congressmen Mike Rogers (R-Saks) and Adam Smith (D-Washington) issued a joint statement, raising concern over “transparency.”
“While we wish Sec. Austin a speedy recovery, we are concerned with how the disclosure of the Secretary’s condition was handled,” Rogers and Smith wrote.
“Several questions remain unanswered including what the medical procedure and resulting complications were, what the Secretary’s current health status is, how and when the delegation of the Secretary’s responsibilities were made, and the reason for the delay in notification to the President and Congress.”
“Transparency is vitally important,” Rogers and Smith concluded. “Sec. Austin must provide these additional details on his health and the decision-making process that occurred in the past week as soon as possible.”
RELATED: Rogers: Congress will ‘correct’ Biden on Space Command
Sec. Austin was reportedly hospitalized on Monday, but it was not made public until Friday when the Pentagon notified the public that he was recuperating at Walter Reed Medical Center in Maryland. On Sunday, a Pentagon spokesman confirmed Austin was still in the hospital — but could not disclose details about his condition, citing “privacy reasons.”
“This has been an evolving situation, in which we had to consider a number of factors, including medical and personal privacy issues,” the spokesperson said, adding that Austin was doing “well.”
NBC News and other outlets have reported that Austin was admitted to the intensive care unit last Monday. The Pentagon stated that Austin resumed his duties as Secretary of Defense on Friday from his hospital bed.
It is currently unclear when the White House was informed of Austin’s illness.
NBC News also reported that Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks carried out the duties of Defense secretary in Austin’s absence, however, she was in vacation in Puerto Rico at the time of Sec. Austin’s incapacitation.
Austin is a Mobile, Alabama native, a 1986 graduate of Auburn University, and a retired U.S. Army four star general.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email [email protected]
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.