US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was treated for prostate cancer in early December and was hospitalized last week for complications from the procedure, the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center revealed on Tuesday. The hospital stay was kept secret from both the White House and the American public for several days.
The Pentagon first mentioned Austin’s absence last Friday, telling reporters he had resumed his duties. Over the weekend, it emerged that the former general was still at Walter Reed, working remotely, and that he hadn’t informedPresident Joe Biden or the National Security Council of his absence.
A Pentagon spokesman described the cause of Austin’s hospitalization as complications from an “elective surgery,”which were not disclosed due to privacy concerns.
VT Foreign Policy 
