Pentagon Reveals Reason for Austin's Hospitalization; Side Effects from Prostate Surgery and Urinary Infection

On Tuesday, the Pentagon revealed that Lloyd Austin, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, underwent surgery for prostate cancer on December 22 of last year. Reports indicate that the White House was unaware of Austin's hospitalization, a matter that has drawn criticism from several Republicans in the U.S., some of whom are calling for Austin's dismissal from the Defense Department. According to The Hill and a statement from the medical team, Austin's cancer was diagnosed in early December. The Hill reports that Lloyd Austin was under general anesthesia during the surgery but returned home the following morning in stable condition. However, the U.S. Secretary of Defense was readmitted a few days later, on January 1, due to complications from the surgery and a urinary tract infection, including severe abdominal, pelvic, and leg pain. On January 2, he was transferred to the intensive care unit due to "small bowel dysfunction." Subsequently, doctors decided to place a tube in Austin's nose to drain his stomach and ultimately resolve the infection. Doctors state: "His health is improving, and we expect a full recovery, although this process may be slow." The statement emphasized that Austin never lost consciousness during the eight days he was hospitalized and was not under general anesthesia. The Biden administration and the U.S. Department of Defense faced severe criticism after it was revealed last Friday that Austin had been hospitalized at Walter Reed for four days. It has now become clear that Biden and senior defense officials, including Kathleen Hicks, the Deputy Secretary of Defense, who was on vacation and had taken on some of Austin's duties, were unaware of the Secretary's condition until the afternoon of January 4, three days after Austin's hospitalization.