US Defence Secretary ‘Apologises’ For Secret Hospitalisation

The United States defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, has taken “full responsibility” for his secret hospitalisation.

The Associated Press (AP) had reported that senior Biden administration leaders, top Pentagon officials and members of Congress were unaware for days that Austin had been hospitalised.

70-year-old Austin, a retired four-star general, who became the first African-American defence secretary in 2020, was admitted on New Year Day to Walter Reed national military medical center for “complications following a recent elective medical procedure”, a fact the Defence Department kept under wraps for five days.

In a statement on Saturday, Austin said: “I recognise I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed. I commit to doing better.”

The deputy Secretary of Defence, Kathleen Hicks, who stepped in to help during Austin’s time in the hospital, was also not aware of his hospitalisation at the time.

The deputy secretary of defense was not told that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had been hospitalised when she assumed some of his duties on Tuesday, two defense officials confirmed to CBS News.

Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks was only informed of Austin’s hospitalisation on Thursday, the officials said. Hicks was in Puerto Rico and returned Saturday, according to one of the officials.