Lloyd Austin urged to testify by House armed services committee on hospitalisation secrecy

US Representative Mike Rogers, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, has issued a formal request to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, urging him to testify before the committee concerning his failure to disclose his recent hospitalisation. The request came in the form of a letter, where Chairman Rogers expressed his concerns about the lack of transparency surrounding Secretary Austin's health-related absence.

In the letter, Rogers said, "You promised full transparency into questions regarding the secrecy of your recent hospitalization. While you did respond to some of my questions I had for you, a concerning number of questions were not addressed."

"Specifically, I am alarmed that you refused to answer whether you instructed your staff to not inform the President of the United States or anyone else of your hospitalization. Unfortunately, this leads me to believe that information is being withheld from Congress. Congress must understand what happened and who made decisions to prevent the disclosure of the whereabouts of a cabinet secretary," the letter added.

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In the letter, Chairman Rogers asked for clarity on the decisions made to prevent the disclosure of a cabinet secretary's whereabouts.

Full Committee hearing on Lloyd Austin's hospitalisation

To address these concerns, he called for a Full Committee hearing scheduled for February 14, 2024. The letter outlined a series of unanswered questions that the committee is demanding responses to.

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These include inquiries directed to Secretary Austin, Deputy Secretary Hicks, and Chief of Staff Kelly Magsamen regarding the events surrounding the hospitalisation. The questions cover a range of topics, from the nature of operational decisions made during Austin's absence to the timeline and awareness surrounding the transfer of authority to Deputy Secretary Hicks. The committee is also seeking information on communications and interactions between key officials during the period of Austin's hospitalisation.

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The 70-year-oldwas hospitalised on January 1 in the ICUof the Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre after complications from an elective medical procedure.The doctors said that Austin had undergone minor surgery on December 22 after early detection of prostate cancer.

(With inputs from agencies)