Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Erik Kurilla, the commander of U.S. Central Command, briefed Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Wednesday at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where the Pentagon chief is recuperating from complications resulting from his prostate cancer treatment.
While Mr. Austin’s long-unrevealed absence and medical condition have embarrassed the White House and sparked anger on Capitol Hill, Mr. Austin was said to be in good condition and can monitor the day-to-day operations of the Defense Department from his hospital bed, officials said.
“He’s in contact with his senior staff and has full access to required communications capabilities,” Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, said Wednesday.
Mr. Austin was rushed to the hospital on Jan. 1 after experiencing abdominal pain after he underwent a Dec. 22 prostatectomy, a surgery to remove all or part of the prostate gland. His attempt to keep the medical procedure quiet, including not notifying his senior Pentagon staff or the White House for several days, sparked a full-blown national security crisis and calls from lawmakers on Capitol Hill for investigations and his impeachment from office.
Mr. Austin has not offered to resign and the White House said this week President Biden still has full confidence in the 70-year-old former Army general.
Pentagon officials said they still don’t know when Mr. Austin will be able to leave the hospital, but said they would provide daily updates.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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