WASHINGTON: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin underwent a medical procedure at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Friday and has resumed duty following temporarily transferring power to his deputy, Pentagon said in a statement.
Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said that Austin was continuing to deal with bladder issues that arose in December after his treatment for prostate cancer. Ryder said that the medical procedure was successful and is not linked to his cancer diagnosis.
Austin had transferred authority to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks for around two-and-a-half hours while he was indisposed, the Pentagon stated. The statement maintained that the Defense Secretary returned home following the procedure. It added that no changes in his official schedule are expected at this time, to include his participation in scheduled Memorial Day events.
Austin spent two weeks in the hospital after complications from a prostatectomy and faced criticism at the time for not immediately informing President Joe Biden or Congress over the matter.
