U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has handed duties to his deputy after being hospitalized in Washington on Sunday for therapy of a bladder situation.
Austin, 70, transferred the duties of his workplace to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder stated in an announcement.
Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers criticized Austin final month for failing to reveal a most cancers analysis and subsequent hospitalizations in December and January, together with to President Joe Biden.
Some distinguished Republicans, together with former President Donald Trump, referred to as for Austin to be faraway from his job.
The incident was a humiliation for Biden, and Austin apologized throughout a televised news briefing. He is scheduled to testify earlier than Congress on Feb. 29 in regards to the scenario.
Biden, a Democrat, has stated he has confidence in Austin regardless of what the president agreed was a lapse in judgment.
With its announcement of the secretary’s journey to the hospital and the fast choice to switch his duties to a deputy, the Pentagon appeared decided to keep away from a repeat of final month’s political embarrasment.
It was unclear how lengthy Austin would stay hospitalized, officers on the Walter Reed Military Medical Center hospital stated in an announcement late Sunday.
Austin’s most cancers prognosis remained wonderful and the bladder situation was not anticipated to vary his anticipated full restoration, the officers added.
Austin, a retired four-star basic who led forces in Iraq and is America’s first Black protection secretary, was nonetheless in hospital final month as U.S. forces launched a retaliatory strike towards an Iranian-backed militia chief in Baghdad.
There are actually three completely different investigations into Austin’s conduct, together with one by the workplace of the Pentagon’s Inspector General, a watchdog company that tracks army waste, fraud and abuse.
The Republican chair of the House Armed Services Committee, Mike Rogers, has referred to as Austin to testify.
Austin is scheduled to journey to Brussels for a Wednesday assembly of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. It was not clear if his hospitalization would have an effect on these journey plans.
Source: www.dailysabah.com