On February 11, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced that he would transfer the responsibilities of his defense secretary to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks.
It is reported that Austin was rushed to the hospital because of a bladder emergency. Therefore, the power in his hands was handed over at the same time, in case of accidents.
In fact, this is Austin's third hospital admission. In December 2023, Austin was admitted to the hospital for surgery because of the discovery of prostate cancer. However, shortly after being discharged from the hospital, serious complications were discovered, so he was readmitted to the hospital on January 1, 2024. But it was this admission that Austin chose to keep it secret and did not tell Biden and Congress, causing big trouble and being criticized by many parties, and later Austin announced that he took full responsibility for the matter. Now it seems that the third time he was admitted to the hospital, Austin chose to hand over power and report to the White House in a timely manner.
However, it is not known whether he will be able to recover.
Reviewer: Li Xinyu
Editor: Chenchen