The Pentagon’s No. 2, Kathleen Hicks, was informed of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s hospitalization two days after she assumed some of his duties.
The deputy secretary of defense was not told that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin when she assumed some of his duties on Tuesday, two defense officials confirmed to CBS News.
Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks was informed of Austin’s hospitalization on Thursday, the officials said. Hicks was in Puerto Rico and returned Saturday, according to one of the officials.
Austin has been hospitalized since Jan. 1 due to complications following a minor elective medical procedure, the Pentagon said Friday in its first acknowledgment of the hospitalization. Austin spent time in the ICU, according to an administration official.
The White House was also not aware of Austin’s status until days after he was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, a Biden administration official told CBS News on Saturday.
One senior defense official learned of Austin’s hospitalization via email from Austin’s chief of staff Friday afternoon just a few hours before the Pentagon’s public statement, the official told CBS News.
