# Sec Def Lloyd Austin "secretly" hospitalized **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 7, 2024, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sec-def-lloyd-austin-secretly-hospitalized/995719 "2024-01-07T01:29:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2024, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sec-def-lloyd-austin-secretly-hospitalized/995719/61 "2024-01-07T23:13:45Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > …albeit nonsensical… The coversation _has_ turned to Republicans. “nonsensical” is a requirement. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sec-def-lloyd-austin-secretly-hospitalized/995719/62 "2024-01-08T00:43:30Z")
_Slightly_ more details from an AP article, “The Pentagon released new details Sunday about Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s continued hospitalization, saying he had a medical procedure Dec. 22, went home a day later and was admitted to intensive care Jan. 1 when he began experiencing severe pain.” Surely before he was admitted on the first of January, he could have made a call to the White House to let them know, or asked an aide to let them know? (In fact, at his level, he probably is driven everywhere by someone else, so he could even have asked the driver to make a call.) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sec-def-lloyd-austin-secretly-hospitalized/995719/63 "2024-01-08T02:43:18Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > As I understand it, the chain of command from the president to the military ordinarily flows through the Secretary of Defense. If the Secretary is incapacitated or unreachable, or at risk of becoming so, the White House absolutely needs to know about it. It’s not clear Austin was actually incapacitated or unreachable at any time (I would guess not), but if he was in the ICU for four days as NBC reports, I’d say he was reasonably at risk of becoming incapacitated. At a minimum, the President, the White House Chief of Staff, the National Security Advisor, and the Deputy Secretary of Defense should have been informed immediately. To that list, I would probably add the other members of the National Security Council and a few key senators, including the Chairman of the Armed Services Committee. > > The Joint Chiefs of Staff cannot substitute for the Secretary. According to [Wikipedia: Joint Chiefs of Staff](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_Chiefs_of_Staff): > > > Following the [Goldwater–Nichols Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldwater%E2%80%93Nichols_Act) in 1986, the Joint Chiefs of Staff do not have operational command authority, either individually or collectively, as the [chain of command](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Command_hierarchy) goes from the president to the secretary of defense, and from the secretary to the regional [combatant commanders](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Combatant_Command) That is exactly right. Many Americans have no idea. The Joint Chiefs have no command authority over the military. They are staff officers and advise on policy. The chain of command goes from POTUS to SECDEF directly to the combatant commanders like CENTCOM. That chain can’t be casually broken. I don’t understand those that think this isn’t a big deal. Maybe it’s my perspective as a 27 year veteran but this is Big Fucking Deal. It is unacceptable that the president didn’t know for an hour let alone three days. I like Austin. I spent a few days in the same room with him when he was MNC-I commander. He was a very impressive officer. His credentials are impeccable. This was a huge fuck up. As a normal sized human it was was a bit intimidating being in the same room as Ray Odeirno and Lloyd Austin at the same time. They were both giants. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sec-def-lloyd-austin-secretly-hospitalized/995719/64 "2024-01-08T03:31:27Z")
I learned something today. I always thought the Joint Chiefs ran the military and answered to Sec. of Defense. I’m surprised that isn’t correct, but glad to know the the correct chain of command. The current chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. Apparently he is only an advisor to the President? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sec-def-lloyd-austin-secretly-hospitalized/995719/65 "2024-01-08T03:37:43Z")
I didn’t realize it was streamlined to that extent, and left a potential command bottleneck from the absence of a single key person without a seamless transfer of responsibility when needed. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sec-def-lloyd-austin-secretly-hospitalized/995719/66 "2024-01-08T04:06:40Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I learned something today. I always thought the Joint Chiefs ran the military and answered to Sec. of Defense. > > I’m surprised that isn’t correct, but glad to know the the correct chain of command. > > The current chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. > > Apparently he is only an advisor to the President? I don’t know if you can say “only.” The Joint Chiefs don’t have operational control. They don’t order deployments or direct wars. They do develop the policy, training and doctrine that the military operates under. The military is ready to carry out the operations they are called on to perform because of what happens under the control of the Joint Chiefs and the individual secretaries of each service. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sec-def-lloyd-austin-secretly-hospitalized/995719/67 "2024-01-08T04:11:19Z")
Thank you for the clarification. Austin should have notified the President. I didn’t understand earlier that he had such vital command authority. The President is Commander in Chief but any delay in implementing his orders is a serious concern. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sec-def-lloyd-austin-secretly-hospitalized/995719/68 "2024-01-08T17:18:12Z")
Do we know that Biden didn’t know? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sec-def-lloyd-austin-secretly-hospitalized/995719/69 "2024-01-08T17:27:27Z")
Do you mean do we have personal knowledge? Not me I wasnt there. Other than that we have to take the word of every news outlet, the Pentagon and the White House. This article contains the statement from the Pentagon outlining his stay began on January 1st and the Deputy Secretary of Defense and the National Security Advisor were informed on January 4th. The president was then notified. > **[The Pentagon adds new details about Austin's secretive hospital stay and the...](https://apnews.com/article/defense-secretary-lloyd-austin-hospitalized-biden-859cc79631d6c96dbdff161faf8e4f96)** > > The Pentagon is releasing new details about Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s nearly weeklong hospitalization. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sec-def-lloyd-austin-secretly-hospitalized/995719/70 "2024-01-08T17:34:11Z")
Here’s another article with quotes from the NSC spokesman stating no one was informed. Unless Biden is lying to make himself look bad I think it’s safe to say he didn’t know. [https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-not-considering-firing-pentagon-chief-austin-white-house-official-2024-01-08/](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-not-considering-firing-pentagon-chief-austin-white-house-official-2024-01-08/) ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sec-def-lloyd-austin-secretly-hospitalized/995719/71 "2024-01-08T17:48:41Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Do you mean do we have personal knowledge? Not me I wasnt there. Other than that we have to take the word of every news outlet, the Pentagon and the White House. Listening to the news on my morning commute today, Biden was “exasperated” when he learned that the SecDef had been out of commission for days and nobody had informed him. I also heard that he later had a “warm” conversation with Austin where Biden wished him a swift recovery so their relationship is still fine. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sec-def-lloyd-austin-secretly-hospitalized/995719/72 "2024-01-08T17:55:11Z")
One thing we don’t know is exactly how incapacitated he was. Was he unable to tell someone to contact his deputy or did he purposely not do it? Apparently his chief of staff was ill and not at work so that added to the confusion. It’s not like that’s the only person who works for him. The first call should have been to his Deputy and that should have been immediately. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sec-def-lloyd-austin-secretly-hospitalized/995719/73 "2024-01-08T18:10:05Z")
From what I heard on the radio (going from memory so forgive any inaccuracies) but supposedly he had gone in for something routine and there was a concern, so he stayed. He was in ICU as a precaution so that if things went bad they’d have the resources to help him. But there’s still no word on what his medical issue was. He stayed in ICU longer than needed due to a lack of space in the hospital. It sounds like everything was done out of caution and out of necessity, but there was no true emergency. Austin being in ICU for days isn’t as bad as it sounds. Though that could just be spin to manage panic and save face. With medical privacy rules it might be impossible to prove otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sec-def-lloyd-austin-secretly-hospitalized/995719/74 "2024-01-08T18:10:23Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > > [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > > > This is especially of concern as Secretary Austin is, with the President, designated one of the two people in the National Command Authority for the use of nuclear weapons. God forbid the President only finds out when, say, a North Korean missile is arcing towards Hawaii, that the SECDEF is unavailable. > > Pretty sure if North Korea launches a nuclear attack against the United States, tomorrow’s headline will not involve Lloyd Austin. I don’t give a damn about headlines. I just want POTUS to have the top-level military advice he needs when minutes, maybe seconds, count. It appears my info on the NCA was out of date, though. My apologies. For more: [National Command Authority (United States) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Command_Authority_(United_States)) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sec-def-lloyd-austin-secretly-hospitalized/995719/75 "2024-01-08T19:33:38Z")
An update: > **[White House: Biden not considering firing Austin](https://www.aol.com/news/white-house-biden-not-considering-150517553.html)** > > President Biden isn’t considering firing Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin after he failed to disclose that he was hospitalized, a White House official confirmed Monday. The Pentagon revealed Friday that Austin had been hospitalized since last Monday... ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sec-def-lloyd-austin-secretly-hospitalized/995719/76 "2024-01-08T19:52:44Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > One thing we don’t know is exactly how incapacitated he was. Was he unable to tell someone to contact his deputy or did he purposely not do it? Apparently his chief of staff was ill and not at work so that added to the confusion. It’s not like that’s the only person who works for him. The first call should have been to his Deputy and that should have been immediately. A NYT article said that Austin is very private. “Mr. Austin is notoriously private and has kept a low profile during his time as defense secretary. It has been more than a year since he appeared at the lectern in the Pentagon briefing room to address members of the news media, and he has been known to sometimes avoid reporters who travel with him overseas.” Even so, he should have informed the president. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sec-def-lloyd-austin-secretly-hospitalized/995719/77 "2024-01-08T20:18:20Z")
Doesn’t the SecDef generally attend the President’s Daily Brief? The Biden administration said they are doing daily in-person security meetings again after the Obama administration made them occasional. How realistic is it for the Secretary of Defense to be incommunicado for several days without anyone knowing about it? Especially with two wars going on? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sec-def-lloyd-austin-secretly-hospitalized/995719/78 "2024-01-08T20:19:13Z")
I thought only the President, a CIA briefer and some White House staffers invariably attend that. Perhaps Biden does it differently. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sec-def-lloyd-austin-secretly-hospitalized/995719/79 "2024-01-08T20:21:22Z")
I don’t know. I think the list of people probably changes with the requirements. I don’t know if SecDef uually attends them or not. It just seems strange for such a high ranking official to vanish for a few days with no one asking questions. He must have had to clear other meetings off his schedule, or no-showed them. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sec-def-lloyd-austin-secretly-hospitalized/995719/80 "2024-01-08T20:24:35Z")
I could understand all this better at a private hospital. How would Austin’s indisposition have been kept secret at Walter Reed – a federal government facility? Something about this story is not quite striking right. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sec-def-lloyd-austin-secretly-hospitalized/995719.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sec-def-lloyd-austin-secretly-hospitalized/995719.md?page=5)