American Defense Minister Lloyd Austin, hospitalized in the suburbs of Washington, is recovering well from a procedure under general anesthesia and should return to his duties on Tuesday, according to his doctors cited in a press release sent by the Pentagon.
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“We anticipate a successful recovery,” the doctors wrote on Monday, specifying “not to expect a prolonged hospitalization” of the Pentagon chief, who was admitted to an intensive care unit on Sunday for a bladder problem.
Mr. Austin’s state of health is under scrutiny after several recent, kept secret hospitalizations for prostate cancer.
This time, the White House and Congress were well informed of the state of health of the minister before his hospitalization, his spokesperson, Pat Ryder, said on Monday.
Since Sunday 5:00 p.m. (10:00 p.m. GMT), Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks has assumed the role of head of the Pentagon.
Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder was unable to say Monday whether Lloyd Austin would return to duty “from the hospital or at home.”
However, he indicated that a trip by Mr. Austin to Brussels, planned for this week, had been canceled.
According to the minister’s doctors, his bladder problem should not influence the prognosis for treatment of his cancer which “remains excellent”.
