On Friday, the US Department of Defense said that the minister had been hospitalized. But by then he had already been ill for four days. And it wasn’t just the public in the United States who didn’t know about the disease. Neither President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken nor Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks were informed quickly after the admission. Instead, it took a couple of days before the health problems became known in the government. According to US media, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks was given some of Austin’s duties. But she didn’t know he was in hospital. Photo: AP “Completely unacceptable” Austin was admitted because complications arose after what he himself refers to as “a minor medical intervention” on December 22 last year. After the operation was completed, he went home the same day. But according to CNN, he is said to have experienced pain afterwards, and was transported to the intensive care unit by ambulance on 1 January. He says that it was he himself who decided who should find out about the health situation. From his hospital bed, Austin said Saturday that he could have done a better job of making sure the public was well enough informed. – I promise to do better. But it is important to say that the medical intervention concerned me, and that I take full and complete responsibility for my decision, said the 70-year-old. Several politicians have been highly critical of the decision, including former Vice President Mike Pence for the Republicans. He calls the secrecy “completely unacceptable” because he believes the Americans have a right to know if the defense minister has been put out of action, according to CNN. Austin said over the weekend that he is on the mend and has reportedly returned to work from his hospital bed at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Directly below the president in the line of command, Austin plays a powerful role in the world’s largest military power. He is directly below the president in the US military chain of command. The secrecy and the Minister of Defense’s illness occur at the same time as the wars in both the Middle East and Ukraine. The Minister of Defense must be available at a second’s notice in the event of a national security crisis. Biden and Austin, here since September, spoke Saturday, according to the Pentagon. Photo: AFP Austin himself has a background in the armed forces with 41 years in the US Army. He was a general when he retired in 2016. Several questions need to be answered The case is attracting attention in the US, and Austin has received criticism from both congressional politicians and journalists. House Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Adam Smith said they are troubled by how the case has been handled. They are calling for more answers about Austin’s health, his political responsibility in the matter and why it took so many days for the Biden administration to find out where the defense secretary was. Republican senator Roger Wicker believes the case weakens confidence in the Biden government. – The Ministry of Defense has for several days withheld information about the condition of the Minister of Defence. It is unacceptable, says Wicker to the news agency AP. The U.S. Department of Defense said Sunday it does not know when Austin will be released from the hospital. He has now been hospitalized for almost a week. Press chief Pat Ryder told CNN that the defense minister has no plans to step down as a result of the case.
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The US defense minister was hospitalized – did not tell Biden – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
