US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Underwent Surgery

(Patria) - US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin suffered a urinary tract infection following surgery for prostate cancer treatment, doctors said.

They emphasized that the cancer was detected early - at the beginning of December, and that the "prognosis is excellent", reports the BBC.

Austin underwent a "minimally invasive surgical procedure" called a prostatectomy on December 22.

"He was under general anesthesia during this procedure. Secretary Austin recovered from the surgery without problems and returned home the next morning," the doctors said.

He was readmitted to the hospital on January 1 of this year after experiencing "complications", and doctors subsequently discovered a urinary tract infection. He was then transferred to the Intensive Care Unit for further treatment.

It was unclear until now whether Austin was under anesthesia during the surgical procedure, which the Pentagon had not previously disclosed, nor had it informed the White House.

Austin faced criticism after it was revealed that senior defense officials and the White House learned of his hospital visit only three days later.

He accepted responsibility for the lack of communication and apologized for not "ensuring the public was appropriately informed".

"I am committed to doing better," he said in a statement.

The Secretary of Defense is immediately below the President in the chain of command for the US military.

His duties require him to be available at all times to respond to any kind of national security crisis.