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The secret hospitalization of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin “unnecessarily” increased U.S. national security risks, according to a new report from the Pentagon’s Office of Inspector General (OIG).
A scathing 188-page investigation by the Pentagon watchdog examines the secretary’s hospitalizations in December 2023, January 2024 and February 2024, and blames Mr. Austin for a lack of communication and a failure to transfer authority. team.
The OIG said Austin’s “strong desire to maintain privacy regarding his medical condition” played a key role in the breakdown in communication not only within the Pentagon, but also between the Pentagon, the White House, and Congress.
Neither Austin’s chief of staff nor Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks knew about his cancer diagnosis or the surgery he underwent in December 2023. In fact, the OIG notes that “nearly the entire staff” was unaware of Austin’s condition or treatment.
DR. Mark Siegel: Lloyd Austin’s secret hospitalization does not fall under patient privacy
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin pauses while speaking during a press conference at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on November 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Evidence also showed that when Austin was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in “severe” pain on January 1, 2024, he requested that the ambulance not use its lights or siren. It is said that there are. Additionally, the report says Austin instructed his security guard not to inform anyone about the incident.
“No one on Director Austin’s staff knew the severity of his condition, including when his condition worsened and he was transferred to the surgical intensive care unit on January 2,” the OIG said in its report. ” he pointed out.
On January 3, 2024, Austin’s chief of staff, Kelly Magsamen, sent a text message to his deputy military aide, who was hospitalized with the secretary at the time. In his message, Magsamen urged his secretary to be more candid about his condition.
“I wish [Secretary Austin] He was a normal person, but he [Secretary of Defense]. As an organization, we have a great responsibility. He cannot have a completely dark attitude towards his staff. …Tell him that you can’t keep his hospitalization a secret forever. It’s a big deal for him to join this world. [SICU]. I am concerned about my illness,” Magsamen wrote, according to the OIG report.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin testifies at a House Armed Services Committee hearing about his failure to disclose his cancer diagnosis and subsequent hospitalization at the Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 29, 2024. (Reuters/Evelyn Hochstein)
The OIG also found that when Mr. Austin was unexpectedly hospitalized again on February 11, 2024, his authority was not transferred “until several hours later.” In connection with this incident, the OIG noted that “given the seriousness of his condition,” authorities in Austin should have transferred him “several hours earlier than ultimately occurred.”
After the investigation, the OIG gave the Department of Defense 20 recommendations to “improve processes” and recommended that the department take immediate action.
Department of Defense releases summary of Austin Hospital Review
Inspector General Robert Storch said in a statement, “The Department of Defense is taking several important steps to address these concerns, but to ensure the Department’s readiness, transparency, and mission performance. further improvements are needed. These improvements are not just administrative needs.” ;They are operational and national security imperatives. ”
Ultimately, the report found that the Pentagon lacked a “comprehensive” plan to take over the secretary’s duties in his absence.
After the report was released, a senior defense official admitted to reporters that Austin “made a mistake” and insisted there was “no scandal” and “no cover-up.” The official also noted that “at any given time, either the Secretary of Defense or the Deputy Secretary of Defense was fully prepared to assist the President.”
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin testifies during a House Armed Services Committee hearing about his recent hospitalization and communication issues with President Biden at the Rayburn Building on February 29, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. , Getty Images)
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Mr. Austin acknowledged his office’s shortcomings at a press conference in February 2024, shortly after his hospitalization was announced.
“Let me be clear: We didn’t take care of this right, and I didn’t take care of this right,” Austin said at the time of his last hospitalization. “I should have told the president about my cancer diagnosis. I should have told my team and the American people. I take full responsibility. I apologize to my teammates and the American people.”
Liz Friden contributed to this report.
Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.
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