WASHINGTON: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is expected to be released from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Tuesday and will resume his full duties, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters.
Austin, 70, has had ongoing health issues since undergoing surgery in December to treat prostate cancer. He was taken back to Walter Reed on Sunday for a bladder issue and admitted to intensive care for the second time since the surgery.
He is expected to host a virtual meeting Wednesday of about 50 countries who meet monthly to coordinate military aid for Ukraine. He had been scheduled to travel to Brussels on Tuesday for the Ukraine meeting, followed by a quarterly meeting with NATO defense ministers on Thursday. The U.S. ambassador to NATO, Julie Smith, will represent Austin at that meeting instead.
Austin underwent nonsurgical procedures Monday under general anesthesia to address the bladder issue, and his doctors had said they did not anticipate he would be in the hospital this time for a prolonged period.
Singh said Tuesday the bladder issue was not related to Austin’s prostate cancer, but she did not know if it was a further complication from his December surgery.
In January, Austin was hospitalized for two weeks at Walter Reed after he experienced complications from the surgery.
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