Pentagon criticized for delayed disclosure of US defense chief's hospitalization

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - The Pentagon sparked criticism for its delayed disclosure of the news of the US defense chief being admitted to a hospital earlier this week for medical treatment.

Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder announced in a statement Friday evening that Lloyd Austin was admitted Jan. 1 to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland "for complications following a recent elective medical procedure."

He said Austin "is recovering well and is expecting to resume his full duties today".

Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks "was prepared to act for and exercise the powers of the Secretary, if required," according to a statement.

The disclosure came four days after the hospitalization and a day earlier, during a news conference, Ryder did not make any remarks regarding Austin's situation.

- 'Outrage'

Shortly after the news, the Pentagon Press Association, which represents media organizations that cover the Defense Department, expressed "significant concerns" about what it said was a "failure" of the agency to notify the public and media about Austin's hospitalization.

"The fact that he has been at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for four days and the Pentagon is only now alerting the public late on a Friday evening is an outrage," it said in a letter addressed to the agency.

It also said the public has a right to know when US Cabinet members are hospitalized, under anesthesia or when duties are delegated as the result of any medical procedure.

"That has been the practice even up to the president’s level. As the nation’s top defense leader, Secretary Austin has no claim to privacy in this situation," said the letter.

Ryder later said that "this has been an evolving situation in which we had to consider a number of other factors” citing medical and personal privacy issues, according to CNN.

The association also requested a meeting with Pentagon press officials to discuss the situation.

Austin, 70, is a retired four-star army general, who has been serving as the 28th defense chief since Jan. 22, 2021.