- Austin, 70, returned to the hospital after complications arose from prostate cancer surgery.
- He was admitted in January for the same reason but did not reveal his visit.
- The Secretary of Defense transferred his duties to Kathleen Hicks the same day he was hospitalized
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was released from the hospital after being admitted for a bladder problem, on his second visit this year.
In a statement on Tuesday, the US Department of Defense said Austin, 70, had been released around 3:30 p.m. and was “recovering well.”
He was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on February 11 and reported discomfort from a bladder problem related to his December 2023 prostate cancer surgery.
Following follow-up by the intensive care team and supportive care, the problem was corrected through non-surgical procedures the following day.
“He remained in good condition throughout the process and no longer required intensive care on the morning of February 13,” doctors John Maddox and Gregory Chesnut said in a joint statement.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was released from the hospital on Tuesday after being treated for discomfort and concern stemming from a bladder problem.
Austin, 70, was treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.
The 70-year-old transferred his duties to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks the same day he was hospitalized.
Maddox is the hospital’s trauma medical director, while Chesnut serves as director of the Prostate Disease Research Center at Murtha Medical Center.
‘(Austin) progressed well and was discharged home today. “He is expected to continue to make a full recovery,” the doctors said.
The Secretary of Defense resumed his duties at 5:00 p.m. and will work from home following the advice of his doctors. He is expected to return to work in person later this week.
For the time being, he will have “full access to classified and unclassified communications systems necessary to perform his duties,” officials said.
Austin transferred his duties to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks the same day he was hospitalized.
Hicks, the White House, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Congress were notified of his release.
Last month, Austin came under fire when he did not notify White House and Pentagon officials about another hospitalization.
The Secretary of Defense was admitted to Walter Reed Hospital on Jan. 1 after complications arose following a procedure to treat his previously undisclosed prostate cancer.
Austin visited Walter Reed last month after complications arose following a procedure to treat his previously undisclosed prostate cancer.
The Secretary of Defense apologized “to (his) teammates and to the American people” during a press conference on February 1.
Austin was diagnosed with cancer in December and underwent a prostatectomy to treat it at the end of the month.
President Biden and Hicks were not informed of the January visit until three days after their hospital stay.
‘I should have told the president about my cancer diagnosis. I should have told my team and the American public as well, and I take full responsibility,” Austin said at a news conference earlier this month.
“I apologize to my teammates and the American people.”
Austin agreed to testify before the House Armed Services Committee to answer questions about his delay in telling officials about his hospital stay in January.
The hearing is scheduled for February 29.