Defense secretary says new rules will prevent lapses in leadership

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Thursday said the Pentagon had enacted new procedures to eliminate lapses in communication about officials’ absences. He said the new rules will provide clarity on who is in charge when leaders become unavailable. Austin spent much of last month in the hospital after experiencing complications following what he called a “minimally invasive” procedure to treat prostate cancer.

Did Austin say whether he intentionally kept his hospital stay secret? He said Thursday he did not instruct anyone to keep his hospital stay secret from the White House or the public, but White House officials did not hear about his hospitalization until days later. Austin also said he did not tell the federal employee who called 911 that the ambulance should not use its lights and sirens when it came to take him to the hospital, although a recording of the 911 call showed that the employee did make this request.

Did Austin apologize? “I want to be crystal clear: we did not handle this right,” Austin told reporters, “and I did not handle this right.” He said he had apologized to President Biden personally for not letting him know immediately he was headed to the hospital. He also apologized to the American people. Austin claimed there were no gaps in authority during his hospital stay. Republicans have criticized his lack of communication, especially with the White House, and called for Austin’s removal. The White House said weeks ago Austin would retain his position. Austin said an investigation by the Pentagon’s Inspector General was ongoing, and that he supported the investigation.

Dig deeper: Read Daniel R. Suhr’s column in WORLD Opinions about Austin’s hospital stay and what it says about the U.S.’s defense establishment.