Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was released from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Tuesday, ending his second stay since surgery to treat prostate cancer, and he has resumed his full duties, the Pentagon said.
Quick Read
- Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was discharged from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after his second admission due to a bladder issue related to his prostate cancer surgery in December.
- Despite the recent health challenges, Austin’s doctors have confirmed that the bladder issue is not connected to his cancer and does not affect his positive cancer prognosis.
- Austin will continue his duties from home for the time being, with plans to return to the Pentagon later in the week. He has full access to necessary communication systems to perform his duties remotely.
- He is set to host a virtual meeting with about 50 countries to discuss military aid for Ukraine, a meeting he was initially scheduled to attend in person in Brussels.
- Julie Smith, the U.S. ambassador to NATO, will represent Austin at the NATO defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels due to his health situation.
- Austin’s medical team did not expect his recent hospital stay to be extended, following a two-week hospitalization in January due to post-surgery complications.
The Associated Press has the story:
Austin discharged from hospital, ending 2nd stay since cancer treatment
Newslooks- WASHINGTON (AP) —
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was released from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Tuesday, ending his second stay since surgery to treat prostate cancer, and he has resumed his full duties, the Pentagon said.
Austin, 70, has had ongoing health issues since undergoing surgery in December. He was taken back to Walter Reed on Sunday for a bladder issue and admitted to intensive care for a second time. He underwent a non-surgical procedure under general anesthesia on Monday.
Austin’s doctors said Tuesday that his bladder issue was related to the surgery.
“The bladder issue was not related to his cancer diagnosis and will have no effect on his excellent cancer prognosis,” Dr. John Maddox, trauma medical director, and Dr. Gregory Chesnut, director of the Center for Prostate Disease Research at the Murtha Cancer Center, said in a statement.
On their advice, Austin will work from home before returning to the Pentagon later this week. His home has “full access to the unclassified and classified communications systems necessary to perform his duties,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
Austin is expected to host a virtual meeting Wednesday of about 50 countries who meet monthly to coordinate military aid for Ukraine.
He had been scheduled to travel to Brussels on Tuesday for that Ukraine meeting, followed by a quarterly meeting with NATO defense ministers on Thursday. The U.S. ambassador to NATO, Julie Smith, will represent Austin in Brussels instead.
In January, Austin was hospitalized for two weeks at Walter Reed after he experienced complications from the surgery.
His Walter Reed doctors had said they did not anticipate he would be in the hospital this time for a prolonged period.
