FILE – U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin participates in a meeting with Canadian Defense Minister William Blair at the Pentagon on May 13, 2024 in Arlington, Virginia.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is set to undergo a medical procedure at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Friday evening and will temporarily transfer power to his deputy, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement.
The procedure is elective and will be minimally invasive. It is also not related to Austin’s cancer diagnosis and will have no impact on his prognosis, Ryder said.
Austin, 70, is still dealing with bladder issues that arose in December following treatment for his prostate cancer.
In the meantime, Austin is transferring his authority to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, the Pentagon said.
Austin has had ongoing health issues since undergoing surgery to address his prostate cancer diagnosis in January.
He spent two weeks in the hospital following complications from a prostatectomy. Austin faced criticism at the time for not immediately informing the president or Congress of either his diagnosis or hospitalization.
Secretary of Defense Austin back in hospital
We have an update on the condition of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin who is back in the hospital, this time for a bladder issue.
Austin was taken back to Walter Reed in February for a bladder issue, admitted to intensive care for a second time and underwent a non-surgical procedure under general anesthesia at the time.
The Pentagon has notified the White House and Congress, Ryder said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.
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