Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s secret hospitalizations “unnecessarily” increased America’s national security risk, according to a new report from the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (OIG).
The Pentagon watchdog’s scathing 188-page review scrutinizes the secretary’s hospitalizations in December 2023, January 2024 and February 2024 and puts the blame on Austin’s team for communication lapses and failures to transfer authority.
OIG noted the main role Austin’s “strong desire for privacy about his medical condition” played in the breakdown of communications within the Pentagon, as well as between Defense Department and the White House and Congress.
Neither Austin’s chief of staff nor Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks knew of his cancer diagnosis or the procedure he underwent in December 2023. In fact, OIG notes that “nearly all of his staff” were unaware of Austin’s medical condition and treatments.
DR. MARC SIEGEL: PATIENT PRIVACY DOESN’T COVER LLOYD AUSTIN’S SECRET HOSPITALIZATION
Evidence also allegedly indicates that, on Jan. 1, 2024, when he was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for “severe” pain, Austin requested the ambulance not use lights or sirens. Additionally, according to the report, Austin told his personal security officer not to notify anyone about the incident.
“No one on Secretary Austin’s staff knew the seriousness of his condition, including when his condition became worse and he was transferred to the Surgical Intensive Care Unit on January 2,” OIG noted in its report.
On Jan. 3, 2024, Austin’s chief of staff, Kelly Magsamen, texted the secretary’s junior military assistant, who was in the hospital with the secretary at the time. In her message, Magsamen urged the secretary to be more forthcoming about his condition.
“I wish [Secretary Austin] were a normal person but he’s the [Secretary of Defense]. We have a big institutional responsibility. He can’t just go totally dark on his staff. … Please pass to him that we can’t keep his hospitalization a secret forever. It’s kind of big deal for him to be in the [SICU]. And I’m worried sick,” Magsamen wrote, according to the OIG report.
The OIG also found that on Feb. 11, 2024, when Austin was once again unexpectedly hospitalized, his authorities were not transferred “until several hours later.” In reference to this incident, the OIG noted that “given the seriousness of his condition,” Austin’s authorities should have been transferred “hours earlier than ultimately occurred.”
After its review, the OIG gave the DOD 20 recommendations to “improve processes” and advised the department to act on them promptly.
PENTAGON RELEASES SUMMARY OF AUSTIN HOSPITAL REVIEW
Inspector General Robert Storch said in a statement that “while the DoD has taken some important steps to address these concerns, additional improvements are required to ensure the DoD’s readiness, transparency, and the fulfillment of its mission. These improvements are not just an administrative necessity; they are an operational and national security imperative.”
Ultimately, the report found that the Department of Defense lacked a “comprehensive” plan for handing off duties in the event of the secretary’s absence.
After the report’s release, a senior defense official admitted to reporters that Austin “made a mistake,” insisting “there was no scandal” and “there was no cover up.” The official also noted that “at every moment, either the Secretary of Defense or the Deputy Secretary of Defense was fully prepared to support the president.”
Austin acknowledged his office’s shortcomings in a February 2024 press conference shortly after the hospitalizations became public.
“I want to be crystal clear. We did not handle this right, and I did not handle this right,” Austin said at the time regarding his previous hospitalization. “I should have told the president about my cancer diagnosis. I should have also told my team and the American public, and I take full responsibility. I apologize to my teammates and to the American people.”
Liz Friden contributed to this report.
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