Pentagon Press Association Expresses “Significant Concern” Over DoD Keeping Defense Secretary Austin’s Hospitalization Secret

On Friday, the Pentagon revealed that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the nation’s top defense official, was admitted to a Washington D.C. hospital on Monday following complications from elective surgery, something the Department of Defense (DoD) kept secret for four days.

Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said, “On the evening of January 1, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for complications following a recent elective medical procedure.”

He added, “He is recovering well and is expecting to resume his full duties today.”

Ryder told Fox News, “This has been an evolving situation in which we [have] had to consider a number of factors including medical and personal privacy issues.  » READ MORE