Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin transferred his duties to his deputy Kathleen Hicks following his hospitalization on Sunday (Agence France-Presse)

The Pentagon reported that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was taken to the hospital again due to an "emergency bladder problem."

Department spokesman Pat Ryder indicated - in a statement yesterday, Sunday - that Austin had transferred his duties to his deputy, Kathleen Hicks. He added that Hicks will assume Austin's duties while he receives treatment, stressing that the White House and Congress have been informed of this.

Hours earlier, the Pentagon said that Austin went to the hospital with the necessary communications systems to perform his specified and unspecified tasks.

Ryder added that Austin never lost consciousness, did not undergo anesthesia, and that his condition was gradually improving.

On January 5, the US Department of Defense announced that Austin had been transferred to the hospital at the beginning of the month, which sparked media criticism due to the delay in announcing the incident.

Late announcement

It later became clear that the country's prominent officials, including President Joe Biden and Pentagon officials, were not aware of Austin's transfer to the hospital, and did not learn about it until later.

A representative of the "press pool" at the Pentagon expressed his concern about the delay in announcing this news, describing the delay as a "farce."

In the aftermath, some Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, called for Austin's removal from office.

Austin told reporters on February 1 that he should have told the president of his cancer diagnosis. He pointed out that he is still in the recovery phase, and that he suffers from leg pain, and needs to use a golf cart to move around inside the Pentagon.

On the other hand, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby confirmed in press statements that there are no plans to remove Austin from his position, stressing that Biden’s priority is the minister’s recovery from his illness.

These events come in light of escalating tensions in the Middle East, as US forces in Iraq and Syria are subjected to repeated attacks by Iranian-backed militants, in response to Washington's continued support for Israel.

Source: Agencies