Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Moved to ‘Critical Care’ Unit for ‘Monitoring’
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was admitted into the critical care unit at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Sunday “for supportive care and close monitoring,” officials said Sunday night.
He was originally taken to Walter Reed “for symptoms suggesting an emergent bladder issue,” a Pentagon spokesperson said in an earlier statement. Shortly after arriving, officials added, Austin transferred his duties to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks at roughly 5 p.m.
Austin was still at the hospital and receiving treatment on Sunday evening, Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary said. Austin's doctors–Dr. John Maddox and Dr. Gregory Chesnut–confirmed that Austin had been transferred to critical care “after a series of tests and evaluations.”