Pentagon Announces: Lloyd Austin Discharged from Hospital and Fully Resumed Duties

The U.S. Department of Defense, Pentagon, announced that Lloyd Austin, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday and has fully resumed his duties. Mr. Austin was transferred to Walter Reed Military Hospital on Sunday due to symptoms indicating a bladder emergency, marking his second hospitalization in over two months. He was hospitalized in late 2023 after being diagnosed with prostate cancer, but faced serious criticism from officials and the media for keeping this information secret. The 70-year-old Secretary of Defense later expressed regret over this secrecy in an interview with the Associated Press, stating, 'We did not manage this issue properly.' Following his prostate cancer diagnosis in early December, he underwent surgery on December 22 and was discharged a week later. Lloyd Austin is set to host a virtual monthly meeting on Wednesday with representatives from about 50 countries to continue discussions on assistance to Ukraine against the Russian invasion. According to the previous schedule, the U.S. Secretary of Defense was supposed to travel to Brussels, Belgium, on Tuesday to attend a NATO quarterly meeting. With the cancellation of this trip due to Mr. Austin's hospitalization, the U.S. representative to NATO attended the meeting instead. The Pentagon revealed that the reason for Austin's hospitalization was complications from prostate surgery and a urinary infection.