Lloyd Austin to hold first news conference since hospitalization

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will on Thursday hold his first news conference since his hospitalization for complications from surgery to treat prostate cancer on New Year’s Day.

As well as questions about the handling of communications around his health, he will likely be asked about how the US will respond to the attack in Jordan that killed three American soldiers this past weekend.

On Wednesday, the White House said it believes an umbrella group of militants linked to Iran called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq was behind the drone attack.

Austin’s unannounced hospitalization, which was not disclosed to the media or President Joe Biden and other senior administration officials for days, raised major questions about transparency and communications within the Biden administration. Republicans have been highly critical of how the Pentagon handled Austin’s illness and the House Armed Services Committee has called on the defense secretary to testify about the failure to notify key government leaders.

Austin last took questions from the media more than one month ago on December 20 when he visited the USS Gerald R. Ford, an aircraft carrier operating in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Two days later after returning to the United States, Austin underwent a surgery to treat prostate cancer, a procedure which required general anesthesia and an overnight stay.

His surgery and hospital stay, as well as his diagnosis with prostate cancer in early-December, was not revealed to the president and to senior administration officials until after the New Year when he was hospitalized a second time for complications from the surgery.

Austin remained in the hospital for two weeks, leaving on January 15. He then worked from home until this past Monday, when he returned to the Pentagon for a bilateral meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

At the time, Austin said, “I feel good and recovering well, but still recovering.”

Biden acknowledged earlier this month that Austin’s failure to notify him about his hospitalization was a lapse in judgment.

Austin’s chief of staff, Kelly Magsamen, directed a 30-day review of the Pentagon’s processes and procedures for notifying senior national security leaders and the White House when the Defense secretary needs to transfer authorities to the deputy secretary, which was required during Austin’s hospitalization. The Defense Department Inspector General launched a separate investigation of whether the Pentagon had the appropriate policies in places to ensure an effective transfer or power and duties.