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U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin
Photo: Stefani Reynolds / AFP
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has been discharged from hospital. This was announced by the Pentagon. Austin is recovering well and will "perform his duties remotely for a period of time before returning to the Pentagon full-time," the statement said. In doing so, he has "full access to the necessary secure communication channels". In a statement, Austin thanked his doctors and nursing staff for their "professionalism and outstanding support."
The 70-year-old made a prostate cancer public last week. Since the beginning of the year, he had been treated for complications from an operation in a military hospital near Washington and had been cared for in the intensive care unit in the meantime. Austin came under fire for initially keeping his cancer and hospitalization a secret.
The opposition Republicans had called for Austin's resignation or dismissal after media reported that he had not informed Biden and the White House about a hospital stay. However, US President Joe Biden reiterated that he wants to hold on to his Secretary of Defense. Austin apologized for the information policy.
lph/dpa