Defense Secretary Austin’s secrecy around his hospitalizations increased the risks to national security, watchdog says

The secrecy surrounding Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s hospitalizations in late 2023 and early 2024 “increased unnecessarily” the risks to US national security, the Pentagon’s inspector general concluded in a report released on Wednesday.

The secrecy surrounding Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s hospitalizations in late 2023 and early 2024 “increased unnecessarily” the risks to US national security, the Pentagon’s inspector general concluded in a report released on Wednesday. The nearly year-long review — which the IG says examined more than 56 million pieces of data, including text messages and classified emails, and included interviews with 44 witnesses — focused on three periods in late 2023 and 2024, when Austin was hospitalized for procedures related to a prostate cancer diagnosis. Austin’s hospitalizations were kept secret from the White House and top national security officials for days, raising huge questions about transparency, communication and the processes surrounding appropriate notifications and transfer of authorities. For two of Austin’s medical procedures on January 6 and 8, 2024, Austin was “moderately sedated,” told that he may have to go under anesthesia and was advised not to engage in any activities requiring unimpaired mental ability for at least 24 hours. But Austin “did not transfer his authorities” during that period, the review found, nor did he inform Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks or his chief of staff of the procedures. For a separate procedure weeks later, Austin was in a “severe condition,” the review found, but did not transfer his authorities to Hicks until “several hours” after he was hospitalized. Storch and his office also found that Austin did not notify the White House and other required entities quickly enough that he would be transferring his authorities to Hicks in December 2023 and January 2024.