Lloyd Austin, Defense Secretary, to have procedure at Walter Reed.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is scheduled to undergo a medical procedure at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Friday evening. Due to his bladder issues that emerged in December after his prostate cancer treatment, Major General Pat Ryder stated that Austin will temporarily transfer power to his deputy during this time.

The procedure is considered elective and minimally invasive, separate from his cancer diagnosis, and will not impact his positive cancer prognosis, according to Ryder. In light of this, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks will step in to assume the Secretary of Defense’s responsibilities while Austin undergoes the procedure, as confirmed by the Pentagon in a statement on Friday.

Link to the Friday statement

In February, Austin was hospitalized for an undisclosed cancer-related procedure and spent two weeks receiving treatment for complications following prostate cancer surgery. At that time, neither Austin nor the Pentagon informed top officials in the Biden administration about his hospitalization, which received criticism from Biden for the lack of communication.

This incident led to a Congressional inquiry and a review of protocols for cabinet members’ incapacitation.