US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin testifies before a House Armed Services Committee hearing on the conclusion of military operations in Afghanistan on the Rayburn House Office constructing on Capitol Hill on September 29, 2021 in Washington, DC.
Olivier Douliery | Afp | Getty Images
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is still hospitalized following doctors’ advice, but he’s “actively involved and engaged,” in accordance with national security spokesperson John Kirby.
Appearing on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday, Kirby said that Austin took part in discussions planning strikes on Iran-allied Houthi militants in Yemen several days ago.
“It is also necessary for people to do not forget that the cupboard officials haven’t got to take a seat and talk each day to make every decision,” Kirby said. “A number of the work that gets done in national security is done on the staff level.”
Austin has been treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center since Jan. 1, following complications from a surgery nearly two weeks earlier to treat prostate cancer. Kirby said Sunday that physical therapy is a part of the explanation doctors have kept Austin within the hospital.
The Pentagon’s failure to reveal Austin’s hospital admittance to the White House or the general public has stirred up controversy, although President Joe Biden is standing by Austin.
For 2 days, Pentagon officials also didn’t tell Austin’s second-in-command that he transferred his authority over to her while he was within the intensive care unit.
“The Pentagon’s investigating this, and we’ll see what comes out of that, but that is not the best way that the method is purported to work,” Kirby said.