Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was taken to the hospital again on Sunday afternoon, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement, in a change after the secretary’s secret hospitalization in January triggered a firestorm of criticism.
Austin’s security staff brought him to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center at 2:20 p.m. on Sunday for “symptoms suggesting an emergent bladder issue,” the statement read. The secretary will retain his duties, although the statement pointed out that Austin’s deputy, the top U.S. military officer, the White House staff and other officials have been notified within hours, a major break from January when key national security officials did not know of his absence.
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