Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was diagnosed with prostate cancer and underwent a procedure to treat it in later December, officials with Walter Reed National Military Medical Center announced in a statement on Tuesday.

What You Need To Know

  • Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was diagnosed with prostate cancer and underwent a procedure to treat it in later December

  • The news of Austin's diagnosis comes amid questions about his recent hospitalization, of which senior White House officials, Pentagon leaders and members of Congress said they were not aware

  • A White House spokesperson said that President Joe Biden did not learn of Austin’s diagnosis until Tuesday morning, hours before the news was made public

  • The White House and Pentagon said Monday they will review Austin's lack of disclosure about his hospital stay, while White House chief of staff Jeff Zients earlier Tuesday announced a review of protocols about Cabinet officials designating an authorized delegate in the event they cannot fulfill their duties for any reason

  • Pentagon spokesperson Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder emphasized that Austin is "not planning on resigning"

"Secretary Austin recovered uneventfully from his surgery and returned home the next morning. His prostate cancer was detected early, and his prognosis is excellent," officials said, later noting the frequency of prostate cancer in men and the importance of early screening.

"Prostate cancer is the most common cause of cancer among American men, and it impacts 1 in every 8 men – and 1 in every 6 African American men – during their lifetime," the officials added. 

The hospital said that Austin later suffered complications from the procedure, "including nausea with severe abdominal, hip, and leg pain," and was treated for a urinary tract infection on Jan. 1; during this stay, he never underwent general anesthesia or lost consciousness, they noted. The infection cleared, the officials said, and Austin "continues to make progress" with a full recovery expected.

The news of Austin's diagnosis comes amid questions about his recent hospitalization, of which senior White House officials, Pentagon leaders and members of Congress said they were not aware.

The White House said that President Joe Biden did not learn of Austin’s diagnosis until Tuesday morning, hours before the news was made public. 

“Nobody at the White House knew that Secretary Austin had prostate cancer until this morning,” NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby told reporters at Tuesday’s White House briefing. “The president was informed immediately after we were informed.” 

Kirby added that White House White House chief of staff Jeff Zients told Biden about the situation.  

The White House and Pentagon said Monday they will review Austin's lack of disclosure about his hospital stay. On Tuesday, before news of Austin’s diagnosis was public, Zients announced a review of protocols about Cabinet officials designating an authorized delegate in the event they cannot fulfill their duties for any reason.

In a memo sent to the president’s Cabinet, Zients requests every agency to submit in writing its current process for delegation of authority by Friday, according to Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. While those existing processes are reviewed, the memo lays out a “set of robust protocols that Cabinet agencies must undertake in the event of a delegation of authority,” Jean-Pierre added. 

Austin, the Pentagon explained, is recovering well and in good spirits, and resumed his full duties as Secretary of Defense on Friday — including regular communication with his chief of staff.

However, Pentagon spokesperson Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder had his hands full navigating questions from reporters during a briefing Tuesday, which took place minutes after the news broke about Austin's procedure.

Ryder appeared to have difficulty answering reporters' questions about the incident, acknowledging that the Pentagon was "trying to relay the best information that we had at the time" regarding the procedures that Austin underwent, whether or not they were "elective" and why information about Austin’s health has come out in starts and fits.

When asked why Austin’s medical procedures — including the Dec. 22 procedure that placed him under general anesthesia — didn’t trigger procedures to alert the White House of the medical care he’s undergoing, Ryder struggled to reply.

Before the briefing, the Defense Department announce that it will conduct a review of its processes for noticing transfers of the Secretary of Defense’s functions and duties to subordinates.

"We fully recognize that there are going to be many questions in terms of notification timelines, as well as the transparency issues that we've highlighted. I really think that this review is going to help us get to ground truth in a holistic way, so that that we can learn from it importantly, but also ensure that we're doing better next time."

The bottom line, Ryder said, is ensuring that if a transfer of authority happens — as when Austin transferred his powers to Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks ahead of his medical procedures — that "appropriate senior leaders in the chain of command know, and that importantly, there’s a rationale to be able to provide some perspective in terms of why these transfers of authority are occurring."

Part of the confusion, Ryder said, came as Kelly Magsamen, Austin’s chief of staff, was sick with the flu — though he did could not elaborate as to why notifications didn’t happen as Magsamen was ill. What has already happened is that immediate changes have been implemented to provide an "understanding of why authorities are being transferred," adding that the process of transferring powers — in this case, conducting "some routine business on behalf of the secretary" — is  "not that uncommon."

What Ryder could concretely and directly offer, however, is that Austin is "not planning on resigning."