US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to hand over duties during medical procedure

(Patria) - US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will undergo a medical procedure and temporarily hand over authority to his deputy, the Pentagon announced. The procedure is elective, non-surgical, and not related to his cancer diagnosis, the BBC reported. Austin (70) was diagnosed with prostate cancer late last year.

He was previously criticized for not disclosing his previous hospital stays in December and January. In a statement on Friday, Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Austin is still dealing with bladder issues stemming from his cancer treatment.

But he said the elective procedure "does not impact his excellent cancer prognosis".
Austin will transfer his duties to Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks starting Friday evening while he undergoes treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Maj. Gen. Ryder said the White House and Congress have also been notified.
Austin had previously apologized for not disclosing the hospital stays, which drew criticism from both Republicans and Democrats over concerns about transparency and security.

Republican Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said at the time that it was "completely unacceptable that it took three days to notify the President of the United States that the Secretary of Defense was in the hospital and not in control of the Pentagon".

The Secretary of Defense is second only to the President in the US military chain of command and is considered one of the most important cabinet members.

Three separate investigations were launched as a result of the failure to disclose. Austin also testified before Congress in late February about the incident and took responsibility for the mistake.

"I should have immediately informed the President, my team, Congress, and the American people about my cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment," he told lawmakers.

"We did not do the right thing. And I did not do the right thing," he added.