"Failed Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin should be fired immediately for improper professional conduct and dereliction of duty." These words, of course, are from Donald Trump. However, more and more voices are joining that of the former president calling for Austin's dismissal after it came to light that not even President Biden was aware of the hospitalization of the head of the military. The secrecy reached the point that the deputy secretary, Kathleen Hicks, who was on vacation in Puerto Rico, had to take the reins of the Department without even knowing why. However, Biden reiterated his confidence in him after a telephone conversation.
The Secretary of Defense acknowledges that "I could have done a better job"
Austin himself acknowledged in a statement that he should have better managed the communication of his admission to hospital, and assumed full responsibility for the decision to hide it even from the president of the Administration.
I also understand the media concerns about transparency and I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed. I commit to doing better. But this is important to say: this was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure.
According to The New York Times, two officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that Biden and Austin "spoke on the phone Saturday night." According to these sources, "the president was happy to learn that Mr. "Austin is recovering and has complete confidence in his Secretary of Defense."
A "shocking breakdown"
Not everyone is so equally understanding. And not just Trump. Republican Senator Tom Cotton, a member of the Armed Services committee, issued a statement stressing that "there must be consequences for this shocking breakdown." The conservative highlighted that Austin was out of his office for days "when the weightiest of decisions must be made in minutes" and he is "the key link in the chain of command between the president and the uniformed military."
Secretary Austin must promptly address the troubling report that the Department of Defense did not immediately notify President Biden or the National Security Council that he was hospitalized and unable to perform his duties. The Secretary of Defense is the key link in the chain of command between the president and the uniformed military, including the nuclear chain of command, when the most important decisions must be made in a matter of minutes. If this report is true, there must be consequences for this scandalous ruling.
My statement following reports that the @DeptofDefense failed to disclose that Secretary Austin was hospitalized: pic.twitter.com/YjL4jSZURI
— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) January 6, 2024
A Secretary of Defense "has no right to privacy in this situation"
The Pentagon Press Association, which brings together journalists who cover defense information, issued a statement criticizing the situation and stressing that "as the nation’s top defense leader, Secretary Austin has no claim to privacy in this situation."
The Pentagon Press Association has written a letter to the public affairs heads of the Pentagon, expressing outrage about this manner in which this was released to the public and the press. pic.twitter.com/aPZnBhlBHh
— Oren Liebermann (@OrenCNN) January 6, 2024
