ANALYSIS – We are already hearing a lot about Joe Biden's taciturn but woke Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's secretive hospital stay. It was finally reported that, initially, it was for a so-called “elective surgery” for prostate cancer, followed by treatment for a surgery-related urinary infection.
All together these events have taken Austin out of action for over a week, part of this time he was in the intensive care unit (ICU). He is still in the hospital.
But neither the understandably personal cause of his hospitalization, nor the length of his stay, really matters.
The huge problem is, no one, including his deputy defense secretary, his subordinate 4-star generals, the combatant commanders or his boss, the commander-in-chief, knew where the 70-year-old SecDef was, or even that he was out of commission.
Neither did Jake Sullivan, the president's national security advisor.
This is a serious breakdown in national command authority at the highest level. And his irresponsible actions have elicited strong reactions from just about everyone.
As Sen. Tom Cotton, a Republican member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, stated clearly:
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 weightiest of decisions must be made in minutes. If this report is true, there must be consequences for this shocking breakdown.
And Austin's desire to be private about his medical issues doesn't hold an ounce of water.
And neither does his non-apology where the low-profile defense secretary admitted that he should have been more transparent about his situation.
“I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed. I commit to doing better,” Austin said. “But this is important to say: This was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure.”
Sorry, Austin, but that simply isn't good enough.
As I noted earlier, former Vice President Mike Pence called Austin's undisclosed hospitalization this week a “dereliction of duty.”
More specifically he said:
To think that at a time when we have allies at war in Eastern Europe and here in Israel, that the leader of America's military at the Pentagon would be out of commission for a number of days, and the President of the United States didn't know about it. I think it was a dereliction of duty and the Secretary and the administration, frankly need to step forward and give the American people the facts.
While Pence wished Austin well, and said he was pleased that he was making a full recovery, “the handling of this by the Secretary of Defense is totally unacceptable.”
Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump said Austin should be fired “immediately.”
Specifically, Trump said on truth Social:
Failed Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin should be fired immediately for improper professional conduct and dereliction of duty. He has been missing for one week, and nobody, including his boss, Crooked Joe Biden, had a clue as to where he was, or might be.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y. and the third-ranking GOP leader in the House, on Monday echoed Trump's call for Austin's dismissal, saying his actions exemplify “a shocking lack of judgment and a significant national security threat.”
And Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Roger Wicker, R-Miss., called Austin's actions “unacceptable” and called for a congressional briefing on the matter.
“When one of the country's two National Command Authorities is unable to perform their duties, military families, members of Congress, and the American public deserve to know the full extent of the circumstances,” he said in a statement.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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