China News Service, February 2 (Xinhua) According to the US "Capitol Hill" report, on the 1st local time, US Secretary of Defense Austin held his first briefing at the Pentagon after being discharged from the hospital and apologized for his secret hospitalization.
According to reports, Austin explained at the meeting that day, "My first reaction (after learning about the cancer) was to keep it secret. I am a private person and don't like others to burden me with my problems... But What I learned from this experience is that the American people have a right to know whether their leaders are healthy because it may affect their ability to perform their duties."
File photo: U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin.
Austin said that he wanted to make it very clear to the outside world that the entire incident was not handled properly, "I did not handle this matter well. I should have told President Biden about the cancer diagnosis, and I should have told me (the secret hospitalization) team and the public, I take full responsibility and apologize to my teammates and the American people."
Austin also said that while he was hospitalized, "there was no authority vacuum" and "there was no risk to Department of Defense command and control." He said the Pentagon has developed new procedures to ensure there are no notification lapses in the future.
As previously reported, Austin was diagnosed with prostate cancer in December 2023. Complications occurred after undergoing surgery, resulting in hospitalization. U.S. President Biden, the White House national security team, and the U.S. Congress were not informed of the relevant situation at the first time. It was not until January 4, 2024 that the White House was informed that Austin had been hospitalized.