BEIJING, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) --U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin appeared at a Pentagon press conference on February 1 to apologize to Joseph Biden, Department of Defense staff, and the public for failing to properly handle the "off-duty" hospitalization.
Austin left the Pentagon on Dec. 21 and returned to work for the first time on Jan. 29. In the meantime, he was hospitalized on December 22 for minimally invasive surgery for prostate cancer** and was discharged the next day, but was readmitted to the hospital on January 1 this year due to complications such as postoperative urinary tract infection, and was transferred to the intensive care unit for monitoring and ** on January 2. On the same day, some senior Department of Defense staff learned that Austin was hospitalized, but it was not until January 4 that the White House and Biden learned about it.
On October 31, 2023, in Washington, D.C., Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin testifies before Congress. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Jie.
Not only that, the news of Austin's hospitalization was only announced on January 5, and the news that he was diagnosed with cancer and underwent surgery was only announced on January 9. Austin handed over some of his responsibilities to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, who was on vacation in Puerto Rico on 2 January and did not know why.
Austin was discharged from the hospital on Jan. 15 and continued to work remotely from home for two weeks before officially returning to the Pentagon.
After returning to work, the first press conference will be about 35 minutes. Austin said that the Pentagon and himself mishandled the whole incident, and that he should have told the news of his cancer diagnosis sooner, and that he "took full responsibility for this and apologized to the team members and the American people." He said that he had apologized directly to Biden and received a "heartwarming" response.
Austin stressed that he had never instructed anyone to hide hospitalizations from the White House or the public, and that he had not asked his aides on Jan. 1 to ask first responders who drove ambulances to pick him up without turning on their lights or honking their horns, but that some "may think" that doing so "is in my best interest." As for the transfer of some of his authority to Hicks, Austin said he did not know what information Hicks had learned at the time.
A police officer is on duty near the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., Aug. 3, 2021. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Jie.
According to the Associated Press, Austin is very concerned about personal privacy, and he provided the most detailed account of the "off-duty" hospitalization to date at a news conference.
Austin, 70, said his cancer diagnosis had hit him "hard" and that "his first instinct was to keep it a secret." He was readmitted to the hospital on 1 January because of severe pain in his legs, abdomen and buttocks, and the next day he was transferred to the intensive care unit because of fever, chills and shortness of breath. And now his leg still hurts, and he needs to ride a golf cart in the Pentagon.
Reuters reported that the "off-duty" hospitalization incident caused a "commotion" in the United States, and former Republicans such as Donald Trump accused Austin of dereliction of duty and demanded his resignation.
Austin stressed at a press conference that there was "no power gap" during his hospitalization and that "there was no risk to the command and control of the Department of Defense"; The Pentagon has put in place new rules to ensure that there are no loopholes in future notifications; He himself never thought of resigning.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) meets with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Tel Aviv, Israel, October 13, 2023. Xinhua News Agency (Photo courtesy of the Israeli Information Office).
Biden said on January 12 that Austin's failure to inform him of the truth in time was a "mistake in judgment," but that he still had "confidence" in him.
Austin is a retired four-star general and the first African-American secretary of defense in the United States.
Austin did not respond to whether Defense Department employees were affected by the incident. The Associated Press noted that a key question remains as to why Austin's chief of staff, Kelly Magsamen, and senior military assistant Ron Clarke, were not quicker to inform the White House or other senior staff.
The United States Department of Defense is evaluating the notification process. The House Armed Services Committee intends to hold a hearing for Austin to explain in person why the hospitalization was not disclosed in a timely manner. According to NBC News, the hearing is scheduled for Feb. 14, and Austin has not yet confirmed his attendance.