The head of the Pentagon has prostate cancer, the White House is unhappy with the concealment of the diagnosis

Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin is undergoing treatment for prostate cancer and has “excellent prospects” for recovery. A White House spokesman made it clear that Biden reacted with irritation to the news about the concealment of the fact of his minister’s cancer.

Austin is sick writes DW, it was detected at an early stage in December, but US President Joe Biden only learned about the diagnosis of prostate cancer of the 70-year-old Pentagon chief, who was hospitalized more than a week ago. National Security Council communications director John Kirby said Tuesday: “Until this morning, no one in the White House knew that Secretary Austin had prostate cancer.” That is, Biden found out about his illness only a few hours earlier than the public.

A White House spokesman hinted that Biden was irritated by the news about the concealment of the fact of his minister’s cancer: “This should not happen.” Biden, he noted, wants the government to review procedures for such cases. A corresponding letter has already been sent to the ministries. Kirby said:

“We must ensure that this does not happen again. Every member of the Cabinet knows that the position carries with it a duty to be as transparent as possible.”

Kirby said Biden wishes the Secretary of Defense a speedy recovery. Asked if the president plans to stay with Austin until the end of his term in early 2025, Kirby said, “Yes.”

Earlier, the Pentagon reported that US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was being treated in hospital for prostate cancer, adding that the minister’s disease was detected at an early stage and his prospects for recovery are “excellent.” Austin has been in the hospital since New Year’s.

A report from a representative of the Walter Reed military hospital near Washington states that the head of the Pentagon was diagnosed with prostate cancer in early December. Just before Christmas, Austin underwent minimally invasive surgery. The minister “recovered from the operation without any problems and returned home the next morning,” the report said.

However, on New Year’s Day, the minister was again hospitalized due to complications – an examination revealed a urinary tract infection, and on January 2, Austin was transferred to the intensive care unit. Since then, doctors assure him, he is on the mend, and his “full recovery” is expected, but the process may be quite long. Doctors said: “During his stay in the hospital, Secretary Austin never lost consciousness or was subjected to general anesthesia.”

Several days of uncertainty surrounding Austin’s illness have drawn sharp criticism from opposition Republicans. A number of politicians have called for the resignation of the defense minister. They wondered who is leading the Pentagon in the midst of Russia’s aggressive war in Ukraine and the tense situation in the Middle East during a period of complete absence of the head of the department.

In the United States, it is customary for the public to receive full information about the health status of senior politicians. Lloyd Austin has been a member of Biden’s team since the start of his term in 2021. This is the first African American to head the Pentagon. Until 2016, the current US Secretary of Defense was the commander of US forces stationed in the Middle East. In this post, he was responsible for US missions in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. Early in his 40-year career in the U.S. military, Austin served in Germany.

A month ago, the head of the Pentagon visited Kyiv on an unannounced visit and assured President Vladimir Zelensky of support.

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