US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin discharged from hospital

Washington, Jan 16

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin was released from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Monday after undergoing follow-up treatment for prostate cancer surgery, the Pentagon announced on Monday, two weeks after he was admitted for complications following prostate cancer surgery.

Austin will work remotely "for a period of time" before returning to the Pentagon. He has "full access" to secure communications capabilities, the Pentagon said in a statement.

Austin's doctors said that he is "expected to make a full recovery".

"Secretary Austin's prostate cancer was treated early and effectively, and his prognosis is excellent," said a statement from Dr. John Maddox, Trauma Medical Director, and Dr. Gregory Chesnut, Director of the Center for Prostate Disease Research at the Murtha Cancer Center at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. "He has no planned further treatment for his cancer other than regular post-prostatectomy surveillance."

Austin said in a statement on Monday that he is "grateful for the excellent care I received at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and want to thank the outstanding doctors and nursing staff for their professionalism and superb support".

"Now, as I continue to recuperate and perform my duties from home, I’m eager to fully recover and return as quickly as possible to the Pentagon," he said.

Austin's discharge comes after he was hospitalized on January 1 for complications from a prostate cancer procedure in December. The Pentagon did not notify the media until January 5 and despite the seriousness of his hospitalization, it was later revealed that Austin had not notified Congress or the White House about his diagnosis, initial procedure, or subsequent complications and hospitalization.

The failure to notify kicked off a firestorm on Capitol Hill, spurring one internal review of Austin's office and a probe by the Defense Department's Inspector General. The Pentagon has said that Austin's Chief of Staff was sick with the flu and therefore was unable to notify people immediately, CNN reported.

The delayed announcement has raised significant concerns about transparency and communications within the Joe Biden administration, made worse by the increasingly tense national security situation abroad as the US counters ongoing Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and attacks on US troops in Iraq and Syria.

Asked on Friday if Austin’s delay in notification was a lapse of judgment, President Joe Biden responded, "Yes".