The secretary of defense, Lloyd Austin, who is confined to Walter Reed Medical Center following complications born of an elective surgery in December, is facing scrutiny and criticism from lawmakers who say he lied to his colleagues about a medical condition that required him to transfer some responsibilities to his deputy. 

Mr. Austin, who is a retired four-star Army general, underwent the elective surgery shortly before Christmas and was quickly released from the hospital but later returned on January 1 after suffering “severe pain.” He spent multiple days in the intensive care unit before military leaders, the national security advisor, and even President Biden himself were informed. The Hill is reporting that the president is not considering firing the secretary over this incident. 

The chairwoman of the House Republican conference and a member of the Armed Services Committee, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, says Mr. Austin’s lack of candor represents a serious breach of trust. 

“This concerning lack of transparency exemplifies a shocking lack of judgment and a significant national security threat,” Ms. Stefanik says. “There must be full accountability beginning with the immediate resignation of Secretary Austin and those that lied for him and a Congressional investigation into this dangerous dereliction of duty.”

The ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Wicker, calls the Pentagon’s actions in hiding Mr. Austin’s condition “unacceptable.”

“I am glad to hear Secretary Austin is in improved condition and I wish him a speedy recovery,” Mr. Wicker says. “However, the fact remains that the Department of Defense deliberately withheld the secretary of defense’s medical condition for days.” He has called for an immediate congressional inquiry into the matter.

Another member of the House Armed Services Committee, Congressman Mike Waltz, who himself is a Green Beret, says that it is “inexcusable and dangerous” for the secretary to not disclose his medical condition at a time of peril in the Middle East and amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. 

“If the secretary of defense is hospitalized, the military chain-of-command needs to know, especially with heightened tensions in the Middle East,” Mr. Waltz says. “For weeks American sailors and service members have been attacked by Iran-backed proxies. Who was providing authorization for strikes and communicating orders from the president?”

“I don’t know whether it’s more concerning that the chain of command literally didn’t exist for multiple days or the White House apparently communicates so little with the Pentagon that nobody noticed the defense secretary missing at a time of two major wars!” Mr. Waltz continues. 

Vice President Pence’s national security advisor, Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, echoes those sentiments, saying that Mr. Austin’s lack of disclosure led to a “broken” chain of command that threatened civilian control of the military. 

“Somebody needs to get in front of this — I am shocked they haven’t gotten in front of it,” General Kellogg says to Fox News’s Maria Bartiromo. “It’s the chain of command, it’s civilian control of the military, and how was that handled, and why did that chain get broken? They need to tell the American people that just for trust and confidence.”

Mr. Austin’s condition was such a well-kept secret that even his own deputy, Kathleen Hicks, was not informed about his hospital stay when some of his official duties were transferred to her over the holidays during her family vacation to Puerto Rico, according to CNN. Mr. Austin resumed his full duties on Friday. 

The Pentagon, for days, failed to inform the public about Mr. Austin’s health and continued to be vague about the secretary’s medical condition. In a January 5 statement, the defense department’s press secretary, Major General Pat Ryder, said only that Mr. Austin was in the hospital due to “complications following a recent elective medical procedure.”

The next day, the secretary tried to apologize for his lack of transparency. “I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed,” he said in a statement. “I commit to doing better. But this is important to say: this was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure.” As of Sunday, he was still at Walter Reed.

One of President Trump’s defense secretaries, Mark Esper, told CNN on Sunday that Mr. Austin’s staff was to blame for the lack of transparency. “Somebody dropped the ball for Secretary Austin on that one,” Mr. Esper said. “It’s an important issue. Very important position, and so people want to know if there’s a steady hand there at the wheel at all times.”