Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 22, 2023 and released on Jan. 9, 2024, was returned to the same hospital on Sunday, the Pentagon said.
In a statement, the Pentagon said Austin was transported by his security escort to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center around 2:20 p.m. “He retains the functions and duties of his office,” according to Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder. , but added that the deputy secretary of defense has been briefed and is prepared to take over Austin’s duties “if necessary.”
Following Austin’s hospitalization in December, the White House told Cabinet members and secretaries to notify the chief of staff if they cannot report their duties.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the White House and some members of Congress were also informed.
Ryder said Austin went to the hospital with the unclassified and classified communications systems needed to do his job.
Austin was due to leave for Brussels on Tuesday to hold a meeting of the Ukrainian contact group, which he set up in 2022 to coordinate military support for Kiev after the Russian invasion. Afterwards, Austin was due to attend a regular meeting of NATO defense ministers. It wasn’t immediately clear whether his hospitalization would change those plans.
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–Reported by the Associated Press.