Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Returns To Work At Pentagon After Hospitalization
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin returned to work on the Pentagon on Monday after practically a month’s absence due to prostate most cancers and was assembly with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
“At this important time, I’m glad to be back at the Pentagon,” mentioned Austin, talking at the beginning of the assembly. “I feel good and recovering well, but still recovering, and I appreciate all the good wishes that I have received thus far.”
Austin was final within the Pentagon on Dec. 21. He had been identified with prostate most cancers earlier in December, and he went to a hospital for a surgical process for the most cancers on Dec. 22. He labored the next week from residence.
On Jan. 1, he was taken by ambulance to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after experiencing excessive ache and was admitted to the intensive care unit. He stayed there for 2 weeks however didn’t inform the White House or his deputy that he had most cancers, had surgical procedure or had been taken again to the hospital and put in intensive care till days later. He advised President Joe Biden and different key leaders about his analysis solely after he’d been within the hospital greater than every week.
Austin’s lack of disclosure has prompted modifications in federal pointers and has triggered an inside Pentagon evaluate and an inspector basic evaluate into his division’s notification procedures. Both critiques are ongoing.
Austin has been working from residence since he received out of the hospital on Jan. 15, and he made his first public look early final week throughout a digital Ukraine contact protection group assembly. He gave opening remarks for the assembly by way of video digital camera that was streamed on-line.
Doctors at Walter Reed mentioned on Friday that Austin’s prostate most cancers prognosis is superb and no additional therapies will probably be wanted. He noticed medical doctors for a checkup on Friday.
Austin has been criticized for maintaining secret his prostate most cancers analysis, surgical procedure and subsequent hospitalization with problems from the process.
He was identified in early December and had what the Pentagon described as a “minimally invasive surgical procedure,” referred to as a prostatectomy, to deal with the most cancers on Dec. 22. He was underneath basic anesthesia throughout this process and had transferred some authorities to his deputy protection secretary, Kathleen Hicks. He was discharged the following day and continued to carry out his duties.
