US Defense Secretary Austin Hospitalized with Bladder Issue, Transfers Duties Temporarily
• US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin hospitalized and admitted to critical care at Walter Reed hospital for a bladder issue • Austin transferred duties of his office to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks • Austin previously hospitalized in December/January for complications from prostate surgery but initially kept it secret • Austin was scheduled to travel to Brussels this week for Ukraine contact group and NATO defense minister meetings • It is unclear if the hospitalization will change Austin's travel plans