Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will be back at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday evening — this time a planned visit disclosed ahead of time — according to Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder.
“Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III will undergo a scheduled, elective, and minimally invasive follow-up non-surgical procedure related to his previously reported bladder issue at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center,” a statement from Ryder explained.
“The Secretary has determined he will be temporarily unable to perform his functions and duties during the procedure, so Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks will assume the functions and duties of the Secretary of Defense and serve as the Acting Secretary of Defense,” the notice continued.
Ryder reiterated that “the Secretary's bladder issue is not related to his cancer diagnosis and has had no effect on his excellent cancer prognosis.”
The Pentagon also said that President Biden and members of Congress had been notified of Austin’s temporary incapacitation and an update on the secretary’s status would be provided following the procedure.
Austin was diagnosed with prostate cancer in December and, as Townhall previously reported, unnecessarily turned into a scandal due to the way Austin handled the situation:
He went in for secret surgery on December 22. After a subsequent infection, Austin went back to the hospital and landed in intensive care.
During this entire period, Austin never informed President Joe Biden or National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan of his absence. His deputy, who was on vacation in Puerto Rico at the time, was also not informed of Austin's condition until days into the hospitalization last week. Congress, in breach of federal law, was also left in the dark.
A subsequent investigation led to new protocol for transferring the secretary’s duties and notifying Congress and the White House, hence this Friday’s announcement.