At a press conference on Thursday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin offered a full-throated apology for the secrecy regarding his hospitalization last month as he underwent treatment for prostate cancer, which President Joe Biden and top officials did not learn about for days.

What You Need To Know

  • Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin apologized Thursday for the secrecy surrounding his hospitalization last month as he underwent treatment for prostate cancer

  • Austin, 70, underwent treatment for prostate cancer at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Dec. 22 of last year, which was detected during a routine screening; He went back to the hospital on Jan. 1 after complications from the surgical procedure

  • President Biden and the White House were not notified about Austin's hospitalization until Jan. 4; they would not learn about his diagnosis until Jan. 9, the same day that the public was informed

  • Austin on Thursday emphasized that there were "no gaps in authorities and no risk to the department's command and control"

  • He said that he at no point considered resigning from his position and insisted that he did not tell anyone on his staff to keep it secret from the White House or other officials

"Let me be crystal clear: We did not handle this right, and I did not handle this right," Austin said. "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."

Austin, 70, underwent treatment for prostate cancer at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Dec. 22 of last year, which was detected during a routine screening. He went back to the hospital on Jan. 1 after complications from the surgical procedure, where he was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection. He was also admitted to intensive care at one point. Doctors said he stayed in the hospital due to leg pain from the infection and so he could receive physical therapy for his injury. He was released about two weeks later. Austin returned to the Pentagon earlier this week after several days of working from home.

President Biden and the White House were not notified about Austin's hospitalization until Jan. 4; they would not learn about his diagnosis until Jan. 9, the same day that the public was informed.

"I should have told the president about my cancer diagnosis," Austin added. "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."

A few days after Austin's diagnosis, Biden said that it was a lapse in judgment by Austin, but he maintained he still had confidence in the Pentagon chief. News of the hospitalization, particularly the secrecy surrounding it, sparked outrage in Washington, with House lawmakers asking Austin to testify at a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Feb. 14, and the White House setting a new protocol for delegations of authority and notifications for Cabinet members. The Pentagon's inspector general is also probing the matter.

Austin on Thursday emphasized that there were "no gaps in authorities and no risk to the department's command and control." During Austin’s time at Walter Reed, the U.S. launched a series of military strikes late last week on the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, targeting dozens of locations linked to their campaign of assaults on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. 

Notably, while Austin was in intensive care, there were strikes carried out against an Iraqi militia leader. Austin said that strike was planned out and he had made recommendations to President Biden on it, who ultimately made the decision.

"At every moment, either I or the Deputy Secretary was in full charge, and we've already put in place some new procedures to make sure that any lapses in notification don't happen," he said. "In the future, if the Deputy Secretary needs to temporarily assume the duties of my office, she and several White House offices will be immediately notified, including the White House Situation Room. And so will key officials across the department, and the reason for that assumption of duties will be included in writing."

Austin told reporters Thursday that he at no point considered resigning from his position: "In terms of resignation, the answer's no."

He also insisted that he did not tell anyone on his staff to keep it secret from the White House or other officials, nor has he created a "culture of secrecy" at the Pentagon; an aide to Austin requested that an ambulance picking up the Defense Secretary do so without using lights or sirens, according to audio of a 911 call obtained by multiple news outlets.  

"I think there will be security officers, there will be other staff members, who may perceive that they're doing things in my best interest," Austin said. "I can't predict or determine or ascertain what those things may be. I just know what I said and it did not say. Of course, I have a great staff, and they always want to intend to do the right thing."

Austin, the country's first Black Pentagon chief, also lamented the fact that he "missed an opportunity to send a message on an important public health issue."

"I'd like to fix that right now," he continued. "I was diagnosed with a highly treatable form of cancer, aretty common one. One in eight American men will get prostate cancer, one in six black men will get it and so I'm here with a clear message to other men, especially older men: Get screened. Get your regular checkups."

"Prostate cancer has a glass jaw," Austin added. "If your doctor can spot it, they can treat it and beat it. And the side effects that I experienced are highly, highly unusual. So you can count on me set a better example on this issue today and for the rest of my life."

Spectrum News' Maddie Gannon and The Associated Press contributed to this report.