US Defense Minister Lloyd Austin Was Again Rushed to Hospital, His Duties Were Carried Out by Deputy Minister of Defense Kathleen Hicks

Pentagon spokesman Major General Patrick S. Ryder. (Wikimedia Commons/DoD/US Army Sigt. James K. McCann)

JAKARTA - United States Deputy Defense Minister Lloyd Austin has been rushed to hospital again to undergo treatment for symptoms of bladder problems, transferring his duties to his deputy, the Pentagon said.

Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks took over the functions and duties of the Pantagon chief shortly before 5 p.m. (Sunday, local time), Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement, saying the White House, Congress and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (General Charles Q . Brown Jr.) has been notified, reported CNN, February 12.

Lloyd was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center at around 2:20 p.m. local time, Maj. Gen. Ryder said, without specifying how long Secretary of Defense Austin would remain at the hospital.

"We will provide an update on Minister Austin's condition as soon as possible," Ryder said.

This notification, released by the Pentagon within three hours, was different from the previous one, where there was no notification to the government and the public when he was rushed to hospital.

Previously, Minister of Defense Austin was diagnosed with prostate cancer in early December and underwent a procedure to treat the cancer on December 22. The procedure requires general anesthesia and an overnight stay at Walter Reed.

He then returned to hospital on New Year's Day after suffering complications from the procedure. Austin's unannounced hospitalization, which was not disclosed to the media or President Joe Biden and other senior administration officials for days, raises major questions about transparency in government.

Secretary of Defense Austin remained hospitalized for two weeks, then worked from home for another two weeks while continuing his recovery.

On February 1, in his first press conference since being hospitalized, Austin acknowledged that the handling of his diagnosis and hospitalization was a mistake and apologized.

Defense Minister Austin is scheduled to testify before Congress on February 29 regarding this matter. There are now three different investigations into the lack of notification from the retired four-star general who led troops in Iraq, the US's first black defense secretary, according to Reuters.

Last week, the Office of the Secretary of Defense completed a 30-day review of notification procedures surrounding the transfer of responsibility.

At a press conference Thursday, Maj. Gen. Ryder said Defense Secretary Austin had received the review and was reviewing it. He said most of the review is classified, but the Pentagon will try to make as much of it public as possible.

"We remain committed to being as transparent as possible regarding the review, and we will have more information once the secretary's review is complete," Maj. Gen. Ryder said.