The news that U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was hospitalized for prostate cancer was secretly covered up by the United States until he was discharged from the hospital. This sparked a backlash from American political circles and **, with some questioning his abilities and responsibilities, some demanding his resignation, and some expressing concern for his health. Austin made his first public appearance after being discharged from the hospital, attending a ** conference on military assistance to Ukraine, calling on Western countries to remain united and firm in the crisis against Russia.
According to the Globe, CNN reported that on January 23, Austin spoke at the ** conference, which was his first public appearance since he was hospitalized for prostate cancer surgery on December 22 last year. With an emaciated face, he sat next to a printer with a white wall behind him with the flags of the United States and Ukraine. He said at the meeting that the United States and its allies will continue to support Ukraine against Russia's aggression, and he urged Congress to pass emergency appropriations for Ukraine as soon as possible. "If we lose self-control, if we retreat, we can't stop those who might be attackers, and we cause more bloodshed and chaos," he said. The U.S. Department of Defense livestreamed the meeting, but it was interrupted several times, and Austin did not mention his health.
Earlier, the Pentagon said on the 22nd that Austin would attend a meeting on military assistance to Ukraine online at home. Reuters noted that this is Austin's first public event after being hospitalized due to illness, but he will not answer questions at a press conference with other U.S. military leaders. According to the report, Republicans in the U.S. Congress rejected Biden's request for emergency funding for Ukraine, and also claimed that they would partially "shut down" the federal ** unless Biden agreed to promote a new security policy along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Pentagon spokesman Manningh said that the United States is committed to supporting Ukraine and lawmakers need to provide more money for Kyiv as the Ukrainian crisis continues. "It's not just the U.S. that has been providing security assistance to Ukraine, our partners and allies are continuing to do so, even though our Congress hasn't passed the additional appropriations," Singh told reporters. "Since the escalation of the crisis in Ukraine, the United States and its allies have announced multiple rounds of aid plans for Ukraine. Russian press secretary Dmitry Peskov previously said that the United States, Europe and other Western countries will sooner or later get tired of providing support to Ukraine, which will lead to internal Western support.
Austin's hospitalization has been kept strictly secret by the United States, and no details have been released to the outside world. This opaque approach has provoked questions and criticism from the outside world, with some believing that ** was derelict in handling this sensitive issue, some doubting Austin's ability and responsibility, and some demanding his resignation. Austin's public appearance, while not completely dispelling the concerns of the outside world, at least showed that his health was gradually improving, and he still maintained enthusiasm and focus on his work.
According to the Russian satellite news agency Washington on January 23, Austin participated in the ** meeting for the first time after being discharged from the hospital and spoke at the meeting of the Contact Group on Western Countries' Aid to Ukraine, calling on other Western countries not to waver on the issue of assistance against the backdrop of the inability of the United States to provide a new round of military assistance to Kyiv. "If we lose self-control, if we back down, we can't stop those who might be attackers, and we trigger more bloodshed and chaos," Austin reportedly said during the panel. "The event was broadcast by the US Department of Defense.
Although the live stream was slightly interrupted, Austin did not talk about his health. At the meeting, he called for more aid to Ukraine, saying that "there is no credible evidence that the US equipment supplied to Ukraine has been misused or illegally transferred."
It is reported that this is the first public appearance since his secret hospitalization. According to previous reports, Austin has been working remotely from home since he was discharged from the hospital on the 15th. His doctors said he was expected to be "completely**" and that his cancer prognosis was "very good". At the same time, the Pentagon claims that it has full access to secure information communication while working remotely from home.
Austin stressed to Western countries that in the context of the inability of the United States to provide a new round of military assistance to Ukraine, other Western countries must not waver on the issue of aid to Ukraine. If the Western world chooses to retreat, it will not be able to stop the Russian attack, and more bloodshed and chaos will erupt. In view of the current situation on the battlefield, Austin called on Western countries to provide Ukraine with more air defense systems and interceptor missiles as soon as possible. You know, after entering 2024, Russia will launch a large-scale airstrike on Ukraine every few days. Ukraine** also admitted that the interception rate of Russian missiles by the Ukrainian air defense forces has decreased significantly.
In addition, it should be noted that, according to a previous report by the global network, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee of the US House of Representatives, Republican Mike Rogers, asked US Secretary of Defense Austin to testify to the committee on his failure to report his hospitalization to Biden and others in a timely manner. Rogers wrote to Austin saying Congress must understand the situation, including who exactly made the decision to keep the condition secret. Austin went to the hospital for surgery for prostate cancer on December 22 last year, and this information was not reported to Biden and the United States in a timely manner. It wasn't until three days after Austin was admitted to the hospital that the White House learned that Austin was hospitalized.
Not only that, according to Reuters 16**, a recording of a call between the US Secretary of Defense and the operator of the 911 police ** before being taken to the hospital on January 1 was made public. The recordings show Austin's aides asking the ambulance to turn off the overhead lights and sirens because they wanted to keep a "low profile." Biden and other high-level officials in the United States were not immediately informed of the situation, and it was not until three days after Austin was admitted to the hospital that the White House was informed of the situation. Austin has been discharged from the hospital on the 15th, and Reuters reported that Austin has not publicly explained the reason for concealing the admission so far.
According to a report by the global network, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was discharged from the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on the 15th. And the Pentagon said in a statement that Austin would work remotely "for a while" before returning to the office. Austin himself thanked the medical staff at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in a statement, saying, "I will continue to recuperate and perform my duties at home, and I am eager to fully and return to the Department of Defense as soon as possible." CNN said that while a majority of lawmakers in both parties have expressed hope for Austin's sooner date, some lawmakers have publicly stated that they need to be held accountable.
The day before, John Kirby, the coordinator of strategic communications at the White House Committee, said on the television program "Face the Nation" that Austin was "active" involved in the decision-making of last Christmas and the two recent U.S. air raids.
As the "No. 2 man" in the U.S. armed forces after **, Austin's hospitalization was not reported and released in a timely manner, which shook the U.S. political circles and attracted criticism. Former Republican member Donald Trump and others demanded Austin. White House Chief of Staff Jeffrey Zintz and Defense Department Inspector General Robert Stooch both announced the launch of an investigation into the matter.
Due to the opacity of Austin's hospitalization**, the United States began an urgent review of the U.S. senior** incapacity rule. The U.S. Department of Defense previously said that it would focus on Austin's hospitalization and requested that if a similar situation occurs, it will be properly and promptly notified to the White House, Congress and the public. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Reid and Senate Armed Services Committee Chief Republican Rep. Wick previously wrote to Austin saying they needed "full verification" to ensure that this does not happen again. There were also calls for Austin's resignation. However, the White House said Austin's work was still "in the safe zone."
It is reported that although Austin was seriously ill at the time, it was later revealed that he did not inform Congress or the White House of his diagnosis, preliminary surgery, complications and hospitalization. In response, the Department of Defense argued that Austin's chief of staff had the flu and therefore did not give immediate notice.
There are even more shocking details about this "** spectacle", Austin has kept his cancer secret until January 9, when his condition was officially announced. Biden has said that Austin failed to tell himself that his hospitalization was a "misjudgment," but Biden insisted he still had faith in the defense secretary.