"We are from this incident
Saw the collapse of the American management system. ”
In more than 40 years of service in the U.S. Army, Austin has tackled all challenges with extraordinary skill and character. He is a truly proven fighter and leader. I spent countless hours with him in the field and in the White House MI, asking for his advice, witnessing his command, admiring his composure and ...... character”
More than 3 years ago, in a signed article published in the "Atlantic Monthly", Biden did not hesitate to praise his favorite choice for defense secretary, Lloyd Austin.
Austin is the "old ministry" that Biden got acquainted with when he was a deputy **. In 2011, then-Deputy Biden (first from right) shook hands with Austin (second from left), the top commander of U.S. forces in Iraq.
Unsurprisingly, Austin soon became the first African-American secretary of defense in the United States. However, this "truly tested warrior" has recently been confused: he does not dare to call in sick.
He was transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) due to complications after a minor operation, but he kept it a secret, "left his post" without authorization, and almost concealed it from the entire American political circles - the deputy secretary, the secretary of state, the cabinet, Congress, and the entire military. It wasn't until three days after he was hospitalized that the Pentagon announced that Austin was hospitalized.
People have questioned whether the communication between the Pentagon and the White House is smoothWho controls the U.S. ** team?Is there another hidden story behind the US Secretary of Defense's "concealment of hospitalization"?
Secretly admitted to the ICU
On December 22, 2023, Austin underwent surgery and was discharged from the hospital 1 day later. On the evening of January 1 this year, he suddenly felt severe pain and was subsequently admitted to the ICU, where he was in a very serious condition.
The next day, Brown learned that Austin had been admitted to the hospital, and some Pentagons** were immediately told that Austin would be on vacation for a week.
In this case, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Hicks was required to act as secretary, but she had to work remotely on vacation to Puerto Rico before Austin was hospitalized. U.S. media quoted two ** U.S. Department of Defense as saying that when Hicks began to perform part of Austin's duties on the 2nd, she was not told that it was because Austin was hospitalized.
US Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks.
It wasn't until January 4 that Austin's chief of staff, Magsamen, sent a relevant notice to Sullivan, the assistant for U.S. affairs, and Sullivan was taken aback and hurried to report to Biden. Biden only learned about Austin's acceptance of ** in the ICU at this time.
ABC quoted the United States as saying that Biden was furious because he did not learn of Austin's hospitalization at the first time. The White House will censor the "unusual way" of disclosing Austin's medical condition, "someone could lose their job because of it."
On the evening of January 5, the Department of Defense issued a press release about Austin's hospitalization, notifying Congress only 15 minutes in advance. Parliamentarians were generally in disbelief. Roger Wick, a veteran Republican member of the US Senate Armed Services Committee, accused the Pentagon of "deliberately concealing" Austin's health, calling it "shocking disregard for the law."
Regarding Austin's confidential hospitalization, former Trump in the United States posted on social media on the 7th that Austin did not report his whereabouts to his superiors, and even his deputy was kept in the dark, which was a "dereliction of duty" and demanded that Austin be "immediately dismissed".
Republicans, represented by Trump, have blamed Austin.
Pence, the former deputy U.S. president, also accused Austin of the lack of transparency in the way he disclosed his hospital admissions, which was "completely unacceptable." Republican Cotton, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, simply said that those involved must "bear the consequences."
Austin is currently out of the ICU but is still in a more intimate part of the hospital** and has not yet been discharged. In response to the strong criticism from the outside world, he said that he "takes full responsibility".
Biden (first from right) was in charge of the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq during his tenure as deputy **, while Austin (first from left) was the last commander-in-chief of the forces in Iraq.
However, at present, it seems that the condemnation from all walks of life has not worked, and it is likely that in the end it is likely that some poor Pentagon ** will be the "backstabber".
I could have done a better job of making sure the public gets the right information. Austin apologized on Jan. 6. The White House then said it would revise the process for reporting on the transfer of authority at the senior level to ensure that similar incidents do not happen againThe Pentagon said that the person responsible for the accident was Austin's chief of staff, Magusamen: she had the flu a few days ago, so she failed to get the news to the White House. "Process problems" are superimposed on "subordinate problems", and Austin seems to be "exempt".
According to US media reports, on the evening of January 6, after Austin's apology, Biden had a "cordial and friendly" conversation with Austin, maintained "complete trust" in Austin, and looked forward to his early discharge from the hospital and return to work.
The relationship between the White House and the Pentagon is questionable
As the supreme commander representing the U.S. Armed Forces, Austin needs to respond to any kind of crisis anytime, anywhere. His position in the command system of the U.S. ** team, second only to Biden, is the hub connecting the White House and the military.
He "left his post" without authorization, but the White House knew nothing, Congress was also kept in the dark, and the Pentagon looked at each other ......This is equivalent to a direct fault in the "hub".
In this regard, Senator Lankford, Republican of Oklahoma, pointed out that the deep problem is not only that Austin is "off the job", but that all the key departments are unaware.
In a way, this highlights the differences and serious mistrust between the White House and the Pentagon. In fact, it is not the first time that the contradiction between the United States and the Minister of Defense has been put on the table. Trump vs. Esper, Obama vs. Ashton Carter, all the same. There is indeed some kind of subtle estrangement between the White House and the Pentagon.
US Pentagon. (Data map).
Industry insiders believe that this shows that the US system is a system that is disjointed between departments, lacks daily contact and a certain plan, and has loopholes, which will indirectly impact the United States. According to the description of the US media "Political News Network", "this will even lead to the impression that the United States is a dysfunctional system within itself."
Brunn, head of the Global Situation Office, a public affairs agency, believes that this is the latest example of Biden's failure to fulfill his commitment to transparency in governance over the past three years. There are even doubts that Biden will be able to control his cabinet. Republicans have repeatedly questioned who is running the country, and this incident has added a new spark to those doubts.
It is worth noting that Austin's secret admission to the hospital comes at a time when the United States has a series of important international security affairs to deal with.
Since the outbreak of the current round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, US military bases and personnel in Iraq and Syria have been attacked more than 100 times. While Austin was in the ICU, U.S. forces launched an attack on Baghdad, killing a key militia leader and wounding many others. The attack sparked the wrath of Iraq, who demanded the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.
While the attack may have been authorized in advance, the situation on the battlefield can change rapidly, and the handling of unexpected situations can undoubtedly be complicated when commanders are not on duty.
Austin (data map).
A low-key veteran of the pre-** era
In the summer of 1953, "Leo Boy" Austin was born in the southern state of Alabama. He is not as outgoing and cheerful as most Africans born in hot weather, but he is steady and quiet, and seems to have a lot of concern at a young age.
Austin has kept a low profile since his early career, rarely attending public events such as press conferences or think tank discussions, barely speaking aggressively, and trying to avoid attracting attention.
Biden and Austin have worked together tacitly. The two met during the Obama era, and had close discussions on a series of regional issues such as the Middle East, Central Asia, and South Asia, and hit it off on the US military downsizing plan.
At that time, Biden, as a deputy leader, undertook a considerable part of the diplomatic work and was responsible for formulating US policy towards Iraq. He appreciates Austin very much, and once tweeted the ** of the two shaking hands.
Then-President Obama (center) and Deputy Biden (left) meet with Austin at a U.S. military base in Washington in 2011.
Although his personality is low-key, Austin's military exploits still give him a strong sense of presence in the U.S. military.
As a veteran, he has a wealth of experience - after graduating from West Point in 1975, he entered the U.S. Army, starting as a platoon commander, and successively served as a company, battalion, brigade, and division commander, during which he performed his duties and constantly rewrote the history of the black U.S. military as the "first": the first black general in U.S. history to command an entire Army division, the first black general to supervise operations in the entire theater, the first black deputy chief of staff of the U.S. Army, and the first black commander of the U.S. Army ** Command......
In 2010, then-U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (left) conferred the rank of four-star general on Austin.
In 2013, Austin became the commander of the U.S. Command, responsible for all U.S. military operations in the Middle East. The following year, he oversaw U.S. military operations against the Islamic State extremist group in Iraq and Syria until his retirement from the rank of four-star general in 2016.
In 2016, Austin and his wife attended a farewell party for the military.
After retiring, Austin made the transition from a professional soldier to a businessman.
He made his home in Great Falls, Virginia, and soon found the stage for the second half of his life: first on the board of directors of Raytheon, one of the Pentagon's largest contractors, then on the board of directors of Nucor, the largest steel company in the United States, and Tenet, a health care company, and as a director of Carnegie in New York.
But that wasn't enough, and he set up his own local consulting firm.
In addition, Austin earned two master's degrees in non-military fields — a master's degree in education from Auburn University and a master's degree in business administration from Webster University.
In January 2021, Austin was appointed by Biden as Secretary of Defense and returned to **. American political news **politico analysis said that Austin's style of acting at that time may be more in line with Biden's desire to "make the Department of Defense more low-key". Biden needs to reduce tensions with all parties and reduce disagreements in order to take over the White House smoothly.
According to US media reports, during the three years that Austin served as US Secretary of Defense, he was known for his attention to privacy, often avoiding the spotlight and unwilling to communicate with ** regularly. However, this "low profile" has also brought the Pentagon a reputation for lack of transparency and untimely information disclosure.
A former senior ** of the Department of Defense revealed to the US media that Austin was too cautious and introverted, "In everything, he doesn't say a word, he keeps his advice, and you will never know what he is thinking."
Some analysts believe that the 70-year-old Austin secretly sought medical treatment, probably because he was worried that he would be considered incompetent for the post of defense secretary due to physical problems, so as to avoid being replaced during his illness. Cheng Shaoming, director of the Washington Law Firm of Tahota, said that we do not know whether he continued his usual low-key style, deliberately concealed his physical condition, or failed to report the mistake in time, but in any case, this is what we Chinese call "dropping the chain", which will cause irreparable consequences to the interests of the United States.
Russia's "Viewpoint" newspaper simply said bluntly that the Pentagon's concealment of information is not accidental, and "it is clear that we have seen the collapse of the US management system from this incident."
Biden and Austin (left).