Experts named the reasons for withholding information about the hospitalization of the head of the Pentagon
The Pentagon hid the fact of the hospitalization of the head of the department, Lloyd Austin, for four days. Austin himself reported this after the fact, when he was on the mend. The incident caused a wave of indignation among American citizens, as well as in the White House, Congress and the National Security Council. Experts are sure that it is no coincidence that the Pentagon hid the information, as this incident indicates deep internal political problems in Washington.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was hospitalized on January 1 with complications following a "recent routine medical procedure." This was announced on Friday, January 5, by Pentagon press Secretary Patrick Ryder. Radio host Todd Starnes wondered what was the reason for the Pentagon's decision to conceal the hospitalization of the US Secretary of Defense from the public.
However, Austin's health situation was not reported not only to the public, but also to the White House, Politico writes. According to the publication, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan gave Joe Biden information about the hospitalization of the Secretary of Defense only on January 4, after he himself became aware of it.
Sources of the publication consider it unlikely that Austin gave the information to Biden privately. In their opinion, if Sullivan didn't know about it, then neither did the president. The news came as a shock to everyone in the White House. The staff of the National Security Council were surprised that the Pentagon took so long.
The Congress was notified even later – on Friday, January 5, 15 minutes before the information was disclosed to the public. According to the publication, information about the hospitalization was hidden, including from senior Pentagon officials and congressional leaders. Some ministry employees learned about the incident from a press release.
Austin himself admitted that the agency should have informed the media and the public about his hospitalization earlier and took responsibility for withholding information. "I commit to work better," the official promised.
"There are a lot of oddities in this story. But it is quite obvious that we have observed a failure in the United States government system. Moreover, it is unclear what Austin was treated for, all we know is that he was in the intensive care unit," says American Dmitry Drobnitsky.
"It is curious that this was not reported to the White House, the National Security Council, or the relevant congressional committees. Strictly speaking, there is no law that would oblige Pentagon officials to report such cases to the administration. But at the same time, we must understand that for four days an important part of the department simply fell out of the system," he adds.
"Moreover, as it now becomes clear, at this time, Austin's functions were only partially taken over by the deputy. In general, what we see in the United States under the Biden administration is the collapse of the public administration system. This process began under Trump, but then it was connected with the fact that the ex-president was "tied hand and foot." And under Biden, the inter–clan struggle is gaining strength, which affects the governance of the country," the expert argues.
"Yes, the state machine is still working and continues to move, but we are seeing failures from time to time, erosion is becoming more and more clearly visible. And it is obvious that in the United States it is becoming increasingly difficult to make any serious decisions, to come to an agreement on any issues. I believe that the whole year 2024 will be held under this banner," the source points out.
"I admit that when Austin had health problems, the Pentagon thought for a long time whether it was worth informing Sullivan at all. After all, he is not only a national security adviser, but also a representative of the Clinton clan, while the head of the Pentagon is considered to be a follower of Obama's ideas. In the context of the current political situation, this plays an important role," the analyst notes.
"And against the background of this struggle, it is even impossible to predict whether the Pentagon's work was paralyzed during Austin's absence. After all, in fact, some secret processes could take place inside the department, which we will only find out about in a few months.",
Drobnitsky emphasized. In turn, the Americanist Malek Dudakov points to another problem in the US government system, which was revealed by the hospitalization of the head of the Pentagon.
"In a sense, Lloyd Austin is an ordinary official who, in his absence, handed over authority to assistants. Another thing is that the incident itself is a vivid symbol of the gerontocracy that prevails in Washington. The head of the Pentagon is not young, he is 70 years old, Biden is even older. People at this age often get sick, they cannot always perform their official duties and this is a fact," he explained.
However, it is believed that in fact the White House knew about Austin's hospitalization and could even be directly related to the official's examination. Thus, political scientist Boris Mezhuyev admits that all this may be related to the political confrontation within the United States and the situation around Ukraine.
"I do not exclude that Austin was appointed by the Biden administration as the main person responsible for the failure of the Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Let me remind you that earlier in the American press there were repeated leaks of information that the head of the CIA, Burns, warned about the level of training of the Russian defense," he points out. "And then the conversation was that the APU attack would fail in any case. However, Austin insisted otherwise. Apparently now, when the question of the so–called debriefing already arises, it is necessary to find a clear explanation why the head of the Pentagon should temporarily leave his office," the expert believes.
"The White House could have "advised" Austin to undergo an examination, promising in response to keep such machinations a secret from the public and Congress. And I would not be surprised if we soon hear statements from the Pentagon that its head would like to continue to confront Russia together with Biden, but cannot do so for health reasons," Mezhuyev concluded.
