International Courant
Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin returned residence Friday after his “non-surgical medical process” and has since resumed his duties, stated Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon’s high spokesman.
Austin underwent the two-and-a-half-hour process at Walter Reed Nationwide Navy Medical Heart, throughout which his authorities had been quickly transferred to Deputy Secretary of Protection Kathleen Hicks.
“He’s now again residence and can proceed along with his official schedule, together with occasions on Monday earlier than Memorial Day,” stated Ryder, who introduced the process in an announcement issued Friday afternoon.
“The process is expounded to a bladder drawback Austin suffered on account of surgical procedure he underwent earlier this yr to deal with prostate most cancers,” Ryder stated on the time.
“The Secretary has decided that he will probably be quickly unable to carry out his features and duties throughout the continuing, so Deputy Secretary of Protection Kathleen Hicks will assume the features and duties of the Secretary of Protection and function Performing Secretary of Protection,” Ryder had stated. added.
Ryder famous that the bladder drawback will not be associated to Austin’s prostate most cancers prognosis and “has had no impact on his glorious most cancers prognosis.”
Ryder added that “notifications from the White Home and Congress have occurred.”
Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks throughout a information convention on the Pentagon, Could 20, 2024, in Washington.
Kevin Wolf/AP
Friday’s announcement continues transparency about Austin’s well being and attainable remedies he vowed to undertake within the wake of the controversy surrounding his secret hospitalization on New Yr’s Day.
Austin had been hospitalized on account of problems from a surgical process he had undergone in late December to deal with his prostate most cancers.
Neither President Joe Biden nor his high advisers had been knowledgeable that Austin had been identified with prostate most cancers, had undergone surgical procedure to deal with it, and had been hospitalized in early January after struggling problems from it of that process.
Whereas Austin was hospitalized for days in early January, his duties had been quickly transferred to Hicks, though she was not knowledgeable of the rationale till days later. After studying that he had been hospitalized, the White Home was first instructed that Austin had been within the hospital for days.
The furor surrounding the dearth of correct notifications led to an inner Pentagon assessment that resulted in modifications in who must be notified of the secretary’s well being standing, when a switch of authority had occurred and why the non permanent switch occurred.