The Pentagon announced Friday that Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin underwent a non-surgical procedure Friday night to address a bladder-related issue and will be temporarily handed over his duties to his deputy secretary while he is hospitalized.
“The Secretary of Defense has determined that he is temporarily unable to serve during this process, and therefore Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks will assume the duties of Secretary of Defense,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
The statement said Austin will undergo “planned elective and minimally invasive follow-up” surgery at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
It is the latest in a series of medical procedures Austin has undergone in recent months, and the initial secrecy surrounding the procedures has brought intense scrutiny onto both Austin and the Pentagon.
Austin and Hicks implemented a similar temporary job change in early February when Austin underwent a non-surgical procedure under general anesthesia to address a bladder issue.
On December 22, Austin underwent a prostatectomy – the removal of all or part of the prostate – to treat prostate cancer. He was released from the hospital after the operation, but was readmitted a little over a week later with an infection. He was sent to intensive care, where doctors said they drained excess fluid from his abdomen.
Austin was widely criticized for failing to immediately report his illness and absence to the White House, a violation of rules that has embarrassed officials across the government, including at the Pentagon.
Austin was hospitalized for two weeks in January and returned to the Pentagon on January 29. But he was hospitalized again on February 11 with continuing bladder problems, which doctors said were unrelated to Austin’s previous cancer diagnosis. He was released from the hospital two days later.
Austin has since returned to his full duties at the Pentagon and has resumed overseas travel. On Friday morning, he delivered a commencement speech to graduating students at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, before returning to the Pentagon in the afternoon to meet with Kenyan President William Ruto.
The Pentagon said Friday that Austin will visit Singapore, Cambodia and France starting next week.
