According to CCTV News, citing Fox News, on the evening of February 11, local time, U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin was admitted to the intensive care unit for supportive care and close monitoring.
After being taken to the hospital earlier in the day, he was transferred to the intensive care unit at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Previously reported
The US Secretary of Defense is hospitalized again!
On February 11, local time, according to a statement released by the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin was sent to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for treatment of a "bladder emergency". 【Details】
Data map: The picture shows U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin. Photo by China News Service reporter Chen Mengtong
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been transferred to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks after he was taken to the hospital for treatment for a "bladder emergency," the U.S. Department of Defense said.
U.S. Department of Defense spokesman Patrick Ryder said in a statement earlier on the 11th that Austin still retains his functions and responsibilities as Secretary of Defense for the time being, and carries the unclassified and classified communication systems he needs to perform his duties to the hospital. However, in a statement issued that evening, Ryder said that Austin had handed over the functions and responsibilities of the office to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks.
The U.S. Secretary of Defense was diagnosed with cancer
According to CCTV news client news, on January 9, local time, according to a statement released by the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in the United States, 70-year-old U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin underwent prostate cancer treatment surgery at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on December 22 last year, was discharged the next day, and was readmitted to the hospital on January 1 this year due to complications such as postoperative urinary tract infection.
"Off duty" for a few days, the White House Congress "did not know"
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was hospitalized on January 1 and was unable to perform his duties, while the White House and Congress were kept in the dark until days later. Even many senior officials of the Ministry of Defence learned of the situation a few days later.
As the "number two man" of the U.S. armed forces after the president, Austin's behavior of "not calling in sick" shook the political circles.
Data map: U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder issued a brief press release on the 5th, saying that Austin was admitted to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on the evening of the 1st due to complications after recent surgery and is recovering. While hospitalized, Deputy Secretary of Defense Catherine Hicks stood ready to act in her place.
Ryder did not release details of Austin's health.
The website of the American "Politico", the Associated Press, CNN and other media disclosed on the 6th that the White House did not learn about it until three days after Austin was hospitalized.
The "Politico" website quoted a number of US government officials as saying that senior White House officials such as Jack Sullivan, assistant to the president's national security affairs, only received a report from the Pentagon on the 4th that Austin was hospitalized. Sullivan then reported to President Joseph Biden. The Pentagon did not notify Congress until about 15 minutes before the public information on the 5th. The officials said it was "highly unlikely" that Austin had privately asked Mr. Biden for leave beforehand. "If Jack didn't know, the president wouldn't know," one official said, "and if someone else had told the president, he (Biden) would have been the first to tell Jack." ”
The Associated Press quoted a number of officials as saying that many of the most senior officials in the Ministry of Defense only learned the news on the 5th. Many Department of Defense personnel thought Austin was on vacation, only to learn from a press release issued by the Department of Defense itself that he had been hospitalized.
Deputy Secretary of Defense Hicks was acting as Secretary of Defense for a time, but she was not even in the United States. CNN, citing two officials, reported that Hicks had gone on vacation to Puerto Rico before Austin was hospitalized, where he "topped the shift" for Austin.
The Associated Press quoted Ryder as saying on the 6th that Austin fully resumed exercising his authority in a hospital bed on the evening of the 5th. A Defense Department official told CNN that as of the evening of the 6th, Austin had not been discharged from the hospital.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin apologized for the secret hospitalization
According to the U.S. "Capitol Hill" newspaper, on February 1, local time, U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin held a briefing at the Pentagon for the first time after being discharged from the hospital and apologized for his secret hospitalization.
On the same day, Austin reportedly explained at the meeting, "My first instinct [after learning about cancer] was to keep it a secret. I'm a privacy-conscious person and don't like people burdening me with my problems...... But what I've learned from this experience is that Americans have a right to know if their leaders are healthy, because that can affect their ability to do their jobs. ”
Austin said he wanted to make it very clear that the whole incident wasn't handled properly, "I didn't handle it properly. I should have told President Biden about my cancer diagnosis, and I should have told my team and the public, and I took full responsibility and apologized to my teammates and the American people. ”
Austin also claimed that during his hospitalization, "there was no power gap" and that "there was no risk to the command and control of the Department of Defense." He said the Pentagon has developed new procedures to ensure that there are no notification lapses in the future.
Source: China News Service Comprehensive CCTV News Client, Global Network, China News Network, China News Service previously reported