US Secretary of Defense Austin's first appearance after surgery
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has returned to his office at the Pentagon for the first time following his secret hospitalization on December 22, 2023, and the subsequent crisis regarding the lack of notification to the White House and Congress about his health status.
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In a written statement released by the Pentagon, it was announced that Austin returned to his duties at the Pentagon today.
The statement noted that Secretary Austin had been discharged from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and had been working from home since January 15.
Austin, who was initially hospitalized in secret on December 22, 2023, underwent surgery following a prostate cancer diagnosis and was sent home the next day; however, he was readmitted to the hospital on January 1 due to subsequent complications.
IT HAD SPARKED CRITICISM
Austin's hospitalization first came to light on January 5 through a statement issued by the US Department of Defense, and it was later revealed that senior officials, including President Joe Biden, as well as Pentagon staff and members of Congress, had only learned of his hospitalization days later.
The fact that the developments regarding 70-year-old Austin's hospitalization and health status were kept hidden from officials and the public sparked criticism, leading Congress and the Pentagon to launch investigations into the matter.