Pentagon Briefing after Secretary Austin Returns to Hospital

... PM Eastern time yesterday to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to be seen for symptoms suggesting an emergent bladder issue. At approximately 4:55 PM the same day, the secretary transferred the functions and duties of the office of the Secretary of Defense to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks. Deputy Secretary Hicks continues to retain the functions and duties of the Secretary of Defense at this time. According to Secretary Austin's doctors, after a series of tests and evaluations, he was admitted yesterday evening into the critical care unit at Walter Reed for supportive care and close monitoring. Now, shortly before today's briefing, we released an update from the secretary's doctors at Walter Reed regarding his status, and to ensure everyone here today and those watching have the same information, I will read that full statement. This is a statement from Dr. John Maddox, trauma medical director, and Dr. Gregory Chestnut, Center for Prostate Disease Research of the Murtha Center, Director at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. (01:04) Beginning the statement, "Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III underwent non-surgical procedures under general anesthesia to address his bladder issue. We anticipate a successful recovery and will closely monitor him overnight. A prolonged hospital stay is not anticipated. We anticipate the secretary will be able to resume his normal duties tomorrow. Current bladder issue is not expected to change his anticipated full recovery. His cancer prognosis remains excellent." Moving forward. We will continue to provide updates as new information becomes available regarding Secretary Austin's status and we all certainly wish him a speedy recovery. In the meantime, secretary Austin will no longer travel to Brussels this week as originally scheduled. However, Wednesday's Ukraine Defense Contact Group will continue, albeit virtually. While Secretary Austin currently intends to participate in the virtual UDCG, he will remain flexible depending on his healthcare status. (02:04) Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, Dr. Celeste Wallander, who will be in Brussels this week, is prepared to represent the secretary as required, and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General CQ Brown Jr., will also be participating in the UDCG virtually from Washington DC. Ministers of defense and senior military officials from nearly 50 nations will convene virtually to discuss the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and the continued support from the international community to provide the Ukrainian people with the means necessary to defend their sovereign territory. Separately, US permanent representative to NATO, Ambassador Julie Smith, will represent Secretary Austin at the NATO defense ministerial scheduled for Thursday. We will be sure to keep you updated on outcomes from both of these important meetings. (02:53) Switching gears, this month marks the two-year anniversary since the White House released its Indo-Pacific Strategy. In the last two years, the Department of Defense has done more than ever to advance a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific region. We've made historic advancements in alliances and partnerships with the Republic of Korea, Japan, Australia, Philippines, India, and others across the region. And even as we confront challenges elsewhere, the United States will continue to prioritize our efforts in this critical region in support of international security, stability, and prosperity. For more information, please see our fact sheet on the DOD website. (03:30) And finally, our prayers are with the people of the Philippines as our longstanding ally faces severe flooding and landslides from a series of storms, US marines from the Third Marine Expeditionary Force have assisted with 2C-130s to help the Philippine government and USAID in delivering 15,000 food packs to affected families. For more information, please contact Marine Corps Public Affairs. And with that, I'd be happy to take your questions. We'll go to Associated Press. Tara.

Thanks, General Ryder. I want to get a sense of how serious this is. This is Secretary Austin's second trip to the intensive care unit at Walter Reed since his surgery. He's canceled his trip. Can you give us a sense of where he's at in his recovery and is this latest hospitalization part of ongoing cancer treatments? What can you give us as a status on his prostate cancer?

Yeah. Thanks, Tara. I'd point you back to the statement there that I just read. In terms of the secretary's condition, as highlighted, he's in good condition according to his doctors. He will remain in the ICU ward for the duration of his stay in order to provide appropriate privacy and will continue to receive critical care support in order to closely monitor his progress for now. And as I highlighted in the statement from his doctors, his current bladder issue is not expected to change his anticipated full recovery from cancer, and his prognosis for cancer remains excellent.

Is the bladder issue a complication from his surgery to treat prostate cancer or is it related to his prostate cancer?

Tara, I don't have anything to provide at this point beyond what I've shared with you, but certainly again as we have more information we'll be sure to pass that along.

Just last, since his hospitalization, in an effort to be more transparent, can you give us a sense of what stage his prostate cancer was? How early was this detected? Is this something that you're expecting future hospitalizations because of this ongoing fight?

Yeah, I think as you've heard us say before, his cancer was detected very early and so as his doctors have previously highlighted, he's expected to make a full recovery from his cancer diagnosis. There is no further treatment associated with his cancer expected other than the physical therapy that he's been undergoing to deal with some lingering leg pains, which again, he highlighted during his press briefing. So as you highlight, we will continue to keep you updated with as much information as possible regarding the secretary and his health status and being as transparent as we can. Orrin?

Has Secretary Austin spoken to the president since his most recent hospitalization, since yesterday afternoon? Has he expressed any reservations about his own ability to serve to the president or to anyone else in the administration? And then when he's released, is he expected to work from home or will he be straight back to the Pentagon?

Yeah. Thanks, Orrin. He has not spoken to the president to my knowledge. Again, he went into the hospital yesterday to get checked out, and again, I'd refer you back to our statements and what I just read out. I can assure you the secretary continues to be here to perform his duties and I have no doubt of that. But in terms of what's next regarding his healthcare, again, we'll keep you updated. Jennifer.

European allies have expressed a great deal of consternation in recent days due to the ongoing debate in Congress about whether the US will continue to fund Ukraine. Recent comments by former President Trump over the weekend about what he would do to NATO and messaging to Putin and Russia, what he would allow them to do to NATO. Why isn't Deputy Defense Secretary Kath Hicks or somebody of a senior stature going to Brussels and participating in these meetings?

Yeah. Again, first of all, our support for Ukraine continues to be ironclad. As you heard me highlight, you're going to have nearly 50 countries come together as they have on almost a monthly basis to talk about how we support Ukraine. And as I also highlighted is the secretary's intent to participate in the virtual UDCG. Again, we'll keep you updated on that front and Dr. Wallander, as you know, has been at the center of working for the Department of Defense to represent the United States and our support for the UDCG. So she is well experienced, well-equipped to represent the secretary should she need to do that. And she, as I mentioned, will also be in Brussels to support there both virtually but also support the ambassador as she represents the secretary at the NATO defense Minister. Idris.

Just to follow up on that, obviously Celeste and Julie Smith are well qualified, but Deputy Secretary Hicks would be a representation of how seriously the administration takes Ukraine and its needs. So does the secretary not have confidence in his deputy to send her while she's performing his duties?

Yeah, I reject that notion. The secretary of course has full confidence in the Deputy Secretary of Defense. He has transferred his functions and duties to her as evidence of that. And again, anyone who questions our commitment to Ukraine just needs to look at the facts in terms of the amount of support and the amount of assistance we have provided and continue to provide Ukraine and will continue to provide going forward.

Just to follow up, how long was the secretary unconscious or under general anesthesia for since yesterday? Is it throughout? Is it a couple of hours here and there? Do you have a sense of that?

Idris, at this time I don't have anything to provide beyond what I've relayed to you, but again, we'll continue to keep you updated as new information comes in. David.

So when in that sequence from 2:20, being taken to the hospital, 4:55, turning over his responsibilities, did he inform the White House?

The White House was informed that he was being taken to the hospital, so that happened before he actually departed to go to the hospital. And in addition, in that period, congressional notifications were made as well.

So the statement says he'll be able to resume his normal duties tomorrow, but you just told us that he's canceled a planned trip. How do you square those two?

David, again, we'll keep you updated on his status. This is a statement from his doctors explaining that they expect that he'll be able to resume his normal duties. Again, we'll keep you updated on whether that includes from the hospital or if that is from home. But again, all indications based on the doctors' statements is that he's going to recover well, he is in good condition, and we'll keep you updated. Yeah.

Has the secretary received any radiation treatment? And what symptoms did he have before going into the hospital? Was he in a lot of pain? Was he bleeding? And then can you say exactly the procedure that was done when he got there?

And again, I'd point you back to the statement from his doctors. As we get more information, we'll certainly share that with you. Again, as I understand it, this was related to a emergent bladder issue. It was not related to his cancer treatment. Again, and as the statement that I just read out to you highlights, his prognosis for that is good and the bladder issue should not affect his recovery from that.

And you can't say whether or not he's gotten radiation therapy?

To my knowledge he has not. Again, I'd point you back to the statement in terms of the treatment that he's received.

[inaudible 00:11:16] not related to his cancer treatment, but this is a complication of the surgery, correct?

Again, I'm not a doctor. I'm not going to try to speak medical speak, I'm just going to point you back to the statement and as we get more information to provide, we certainly will.

Have they told you or anybody on his staff that this is a complication?

He was admitted. He went to the hospital yesterday for an emergent bladder issue. His doctors have said previously that he's expected to make a full recovery from his cancer diagnosis, which is what I just highlighted in the top of the statement. So again, as we have more information to provide, we'll certainly do that. Courtney?

That was my question too. So just to be clear, you're leaving open the possibility this is a totally separate issue from his complication from his prostate cancer surgery in December?

What I'm saying is what is in the statement, that the current bladder issue is not expected to change his anticipated full recovery. His cancer prognosis remains excellent. So again, as we get more information from his doctors to provide, we'll be sure to share that. Okay.

I think there's an assumption that this emergent bladder issue is related to the complications that he had on New Year's Day. So if that's not the case and this is something completely separate, it'd be helpful-

I'll take the question. Thank you. Thank you. Fadi.

Two questions on Rafa. Yesterday the Israelis attempted a rescue mission, it seems, and up until now, information is still being updated, but it seems like maybe up to 100 Palestinians were killed in that operation. The US have assets in terms of UAV doing some work to help the Israelis recover some of the captives. Was the US involved in that operation and do you have any comments about the civilian death toll from the aftermath of it?

So Fadi, when it comes to Israeli operations, I'll refer you to them in terms of talking about that. And when it comes to civilian casualties, as you've heard me say many times, we do not want to see civilian casualties or innocent civilians killed, whether they be Palestinian or Israeli, and that will continue to be our view going forward.

But did the US play any role in that operation?

Fadi, I'm not aware of any role in the United States. Yeah,

And as you probably heard from Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, it seems like he's planning to invade a ground invasion of Rafa where more than 1 million people are taking refuge. Amnesty International is warning of an imminent risk of genocide. Does the Pentagon support an Israeli ground invasion of Rafa had this moment?

Again, I'm going to refer you to the Israelis to talk about their operations. I think Mr. Kirby has addressed this in his press briefings. We certainly do not want to see any more suffering, human suffering, among those in Gaza, which is why, again, we continue to communicate actively with our Israeli partners on the importance of taking civilians into account and planning and conducting their operations. We go over-

Who is communicating that? You said we are communicating with them. Who? Can you give us a sense? I know there was a point where General [inaudible 00:14:43] was there and we got a little bit of fidelity on that.

Well, yeah, I think all echelons, Courtney. You've had the president speak to his counterpart. You've had Secretary Austin speak to his counterpart. You've got US Central command speaking to their counterparts. The chairman of the joint chiefs speaks to his counterparts. So there's ongoing discussions as it relates to Israel's defense of its nation as well as the support we're providing and the importance of ensuring that humanitarian assistance gets through.

Specifically to Fadi's question about Rafa though, are there people in the military right now or the defense department or CENTCOM or wherever it is who are providing technical-

I'm not aware. I'm not aware of us understanding their plan. Again, what he's talking about is public comments by the prime minister saying what they're going to do. And again, that's something that they need to talk about. Okay, and then let me move over to the other side of the room.

Appreciate it. Did the Israelis share any planning with the Pentagon about this ground invasion?

Again, Fadi, I'm not going to have anything to provide beyond what I've talked about already and I'd refer you back to Mr. Kirby's comments. Joseph.

Can I just ask, do you have any updates to provide on yesterday's HMC with the Iraqis?

What I would tell you is that yesterday's meeting marks another important step along the path of transition as military technical talks, as you highlight, were held in Baghdad. As I understand it, they discussed three areas of assessment: the threat of ISIS, the operating environment, and Iraqi security forces' capabilities. And so we will continue to keep you updated as appropriate, but these talks are important, again, as we look to discuss the transition of the coalition military mission to the longer term US-Iraq bilateral security relationship.

Do you have any updates on the Tower 22 investigation?

I do not. I'd refer you to CENTCOM for any updates on that. Missy.

Hi, Pat. Just to follow up on Joseph's question, the Iraqi military spokesman, giving a readout of those talks yesterday, said that based on the discussion yesterday, the timetable will be set for the gradual reduction of international coalition advisors and an end of the coalition mission. Is that correct that the outcome was an agreement, that there would be a timeline set for that? And then separately, could you give us an update on the internal review about Austin's hospitalization? Did he have a chance to review that yet and could you update us on the publication of that?

Yeah, on your first question, Missy, I don't have any information on that so I'll take that question. As far as the review, no changes from what I provided on Thursday. The secretary does have that review. He will continue to take a look at it. Again, our commitment is to try to provide as much information about the review to you when we can, so certainly we'll continue to endeavor to do that. Laura.

Thank you. First of all, is Kath Hicks acting sec def now and at what point does she become acting sec def? Can you just clear up what her role title is right now?

Yes. She has assumed the duties and functions of the Secretary of Defense, so in that sense she is acting as the Secretary of Defense.

And I still don't understand why they couldn't have had the Ukraine Contact Group Meeting without Secretary Austin. What was the reason for making it virtual?

I'm not sure I understand your question.

I guess what was the reason for making the contact group meeting virtual? Was it solely because the secretary couldn't attend? Because there are many other people that attend that meeting, right?

Laura, I think as I highlighted, the secretary intends to participate. And again, given the importance as we've already discussed about we want to ensure that this continues, and as we've done in the past, we're going to be flexible in terms of the format.

Couldn't he have attended virtually?

I'm not going to get into hypotheticals, Laura. I'm not going to-

[inaudible 00:18:45] the rationale for that.

Well, I've read to you what we're doing and there you go. All right, let's go to the phone here. Jeff Schogol, Task & Purpose.

Thank you. On what day did Secretary Austin undergo this procedure when he was under general anesthesia? And Secretary Austin is sixth in the presidential line of succession. Does that mean that Secretary Hicks is temporarily, until the secretary presumes duties, that she is now sixth in line in succession?

Yeah. Thanks, Jeff. On your latter question there, I'll take that and we'll come back to you. My understanding is that procedure would've been today, so I'll just leave it there. Okay. Ro.

Thank you. Follow-up question about the secretary's health. So I wonder if it is difficult for the secretary to travel to the Indo-Pacific for a while because in general traveling to the region takes longer than any other region.

Are you asking me why he hasn't traveled to-

Because of the secretary's health program, I wonder if it is difficult for the secretary to travel to the region, to Indo-Pacific region, for a while.

Yeah. Thanks, Ro. So at this point, clearly the secretary's focused on getting better. As I highlighted, he's not traveling to Brussels, but I certainly expect that he will travel to the Asia Pacific region in the future when he is able to. We don't have any travel to announce. And so, again, he continues to, I'm sure, remain eager to perform his duties to include travel when he's able to do that, so thank you. Time for one more. Yes, sir.

Thank you. Regarding HMC discussions, if you know how long the discussions will continue? And just Iraqi Prime Minister has said that we are ahead of ending the mission of aligned forces, like even the United States' forces, in Iraq.

So I don't have a timeline. To my knowledge, that hasn't necessarily been bounded. Of course that will be decision within the HMC to include in consultation with the government of Iraq. And then as far as US presence in Iraq, again, I'd point you back to what I said earlier. The HMC will discuss the transition from a military coalition mission to what the US presence will look like as it relates to a bilateral US-Iraq relationship. Our forces continue to be there at the invitation of the government of Iraq. I'm not aware of any specific official requests at this point in time for US forces to leave. We'll continue to keep you updated. So, all right, thanks very much everybody. Appreciate it.

[inaudible 00:21:41] make a request to hear from the Deputy Defense Secretary, now Acting Defense Secretary Kath Hicks. We've never had a chance to question her at the podium or hear from her.

Okay. Thank you, Jennifer. Appreciate it.

[inaudible 00:21:54] first just to get an update on his status.

I will take that request. Thank you very much, everybody.

Thank you.