Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was hospitalized on Sunday “for symptoms suggesting an emergent bladder issue,” a Pentagon spokesman said in a statement.
ABC NEWS
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was taken back to the hospital on Sunday afternoon, this time “for symptoms suggesting an emergent bladder issue,” a Pentagon spokesman said in a statement.
“At approximately 4:55 pm today, Secretary Austin transferred the functions and duties of the office of the Secretary of Defense to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks,” Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said in a statement, updating the public early Thursday evening. “The Deputy Secretary of Defense has assumed the functions and duties. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the White House, and Congress have been notified.”
Late Sunday night, Austin’s doctors — Dr. John Maddox and Dr. Gregory Chesnut — at Walter Reed said he had been admitted to the critical care unit.
“Earlier today, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III was transported by his security detail to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to be seen for symptoms suggesting an emergent bladder issue. Tonight, after a series of tests and evaluations, the Secretary was admitted into the critical care unit at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for supportive care and close monitoring,” their statement read.
