Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been released from Walter Reed Medical Center after weeks of backlash over his decision to keep his hospitalization a secret ― even from the commander in chief.
The Pentagon said that Austin was released Monday after consultation with the medical staff, as first reported by The Associated Press. On the advice of his doctors, Austin will perform his duties remotely before he’s ready to return full-time to the Pentagon, and he has full access to the required secure communications capabilities.
The Pentagon chief, 70, was diagnosed with prostate cancer and underwent a prostatectomy procedure on Dec. 22. He was admitted to Walter Reed’s intensive care unit on Jan. 1 after experiencing complications from the surgery.
“Secretary Austin progressed well throughout his stay and his strength is rebounding,” Drs. John Maddox and Gregory Chesnut said in a statement. “He underwent a series of medical tests and evaluations and received non-surgical care during his stay to address his medical needs, to include resolving some lingering leg pains.”
“He was discharged home with planned physical therapy and a regular follow up. The Secretary is expected to make a full recovery,” the doctors continued, describing Austin’s cancer prognosis as “excellent.”
The decision to keep Austin’s hospitalization a secret for several days, even from President Joe Biden, raised an issue, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said earlier Sunday.
Biden, who only learned of Austin’s hospitalization on Jan. 4, acknowledged that the way the incident was handled showed a lapse in judgment, but he told reporters on Friday that he still stood by Austin.
Kirby said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that Austin was working from his hospital room and has taken part in discussions concerning his department ― including the decision to strike Houthi militia in Yemen in coordination with the British, in another escalation of tensions in the Middle East amid Israel’s war in Gaza.
Austin is “actively involved and engaged,” Kirby said. “And I think it’s important for people to remember that the Cabinet officials don’t have to sit and talk every single day to make every decision. A lot of the work that gets done in national security is done at the staff level.”
But Kirby conceded that the initial decision to keep the White House in the dark was an issue.
“That’s a problem,” he said. “And the president has spoken to that. That is not the way it’s supposed to be. It’s certainly something we need to get more answers to.”
Robert Storch, the Pentagon’s inspector general, on Thursday announced an investigation to review whether the department’s “policies and procedures are sufficient to ensure timely and appropriate notifications, and the effective transition of authorities, as may be warranted due to health-based or other unavailability of senior leadership.”
Austin’s office and the White House have also ordered separate probes.
While the incident raised eyebrows in Washington, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who sits on the armed services committee, said Sunday that he believes Austin should stay in his post, even as he acknowledged there was clearly “a breakdown” in the chain of command.
“His health and well-being is what I’m most concerned about, and his dedication to our country,” Manchin told CBS’ Margaret Brennan. “I think we owe something to make sure we have the facts before we put politics. Politics is always going to ask, though, for someone’s head, always does. And this toxic atmosphere is what people don’t like anymore.”
