(NewsNation) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday is set to give his first press conference since being hospitalized and treated for prostate cancer last year.
NewsNation will stream Austin’s remarks in the player above. They are scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m. ET.
Austin, according to a statement, was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Dec. 22, 2023, where he underwent a “minimally invasive” surgical procedure. Although he was able to return home the next morning and his prognosis was “excellent,” he returned to the hospital following complications from the procedure.
On Monday, Austin returned to work after nearly a month.
“At this important time, I’m glad to be back at the Pentagon,” Austin said during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. “I feel good and recovering well, but still recovering, and I appreciate all the good wishes that I have received thus far.”
However, the circumstances surrounding his hospitalization have come under scrutiny. U.S. President Joe Biden and other top administration officials weren’t informed for days that Austin had been hospitalized. The White House wasn’t told until Jan.4. that Austin was in the hospital, and it was only a few days later that Biden learned about his cancer diagnosis.
A Pentagon spokesman said this was because a key staff was out sick with the flu.
When asked about why it took so long for the public to be notified, Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary said that discussions on prostate cancer screening, treatment and support “are often deeply personal and private ones.”
Biden has said that it was a lapse in judgment for Austin to not tell him about his hospital stay, but still expressed confidence in his leadership.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
