United States – According to a recent internal review, privacy restrictions and some staff being hesitant were identified as the main reasons why the military hierarchy did not fully fill in the president, nor the vice president, commander in chief, and secretary of defense about handling Austin’s case, as reported by The Associated Press.
Exoneration of Wrongdoing
The review, carried out by Austin’s subordinates, exonerates any wrongdoing by anyone involved in the secrecy of his hospitalization, which lasted for several days in the intensive care unit. And it reads clearly that there is no indication of “no indication of ill intent or an attempt to obfuscate.”
Alternatively, the above-mentioned 30-day investigation of the breakdown — which disturbed the White House and members of the Congress — has reported the improvement of procedures and better information sharing when the secretary makes the transfer to the deputy, as reported by The Associated Press.
Austin Faces Congressional Criticism
Austin is heading to the House hearing on isolationist foreign policy today. He is sure to face withering criticism. The Defense Department’s inspector general is also performing an investigation that remains uncompleted.
On December 2, Austin learned that he had prostate cancer and ended up having an operation at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on December 22. On January 1, he was brought back to Walter Reed in an ambulance when he felt the pain that was intense, and he was moved to the intensive care unit the following day.
Delayed Public Announcement
Although he had given away his authority to decide to Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks during his initial operation and then during his intensive care, he did not tell her about the reasons for this, and he did not inform the White House.
On January 2, Pentagon officials admitted publicly that affairs and defense experts were informed that Austin was in hospital, but they released the information on January 4 to service leaders and National Security Council’s members. No sooner had he come to know, but only then did he. It was about the end of the fourth day before the underlying reason behind his hospitalization was made public.
The unclassified summary of the review and the set of recommended changes were released by the national military leaders on Monday, September 6. The scrutiny suggests that no method of a similar nature existed, and it seemed like his hospital stay was unplanned, which was not communicated to others either.
Moreover, the report illustrates that her staff did not have the information to give to doctors, and the doctors could not provide any health information because of medical privacy laws. Even worse, her medical condition was in flux, and she did not have the assurance of time-bound secured communications, as reported by The Associated Press.
Secretary Austin’s Response
Austin was given the finished 30-day review on February 8, and only bits of the report were released to the public. The Department of Defense contends the secret sections in the account have been declassified.
Austin, at his own press briefing, said that he had never instructed his staff to keep the details about his surgery and hospitalization from the White House; instead, he apologized for intending not to inform Biden on this matter for so long. He claimed that there was no talk of secrecy inside his office. He, however, accepts that the staff may have perceived this as them helping him get back on his feet.