US Defense Secretary makes first appearance since hospital discharge

US Secretary of Defense Austin (71 years old) was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland on December 22, 2023 for treatment of prostate cancer and was then discharged.

Bộ trưởng Quốc phòng Mỹ lần đầu xuất hiện sau khi xuất viện- Ảnh 1. — US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in an online meeting on January 23.

He was hospitalized again on New Year's Day 2024 due to complications, including a urinary tract infection. His hospitalization was not disclosed until four days later, and the Pentagon did not clarify why he was being treated until January 9.

Mr. Austin's failure to notify President Joe Biden surprised the White House and drew criticism from lawmakers.

The US defense secretary appeared on the January 23 online meeting for a few minutes as he made his opening remarks. Mr. Austin sat in front of a white wall, with what appeared to be a security system keyboard on his left and the US Department of Defense seal on his right, with a small US and Ukrainian flag on top of a printer next to him.

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During the live broadcast, which was interrupted slightly, Mr. Austin did not mention his health, despite the content being prepared in his speech, according to Reuters. Instead, the minister called for additional air defense systems for Ukraine.

He is not expected to attend a joint news conference with the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff after the meeting, which has become customary after such meetings.

According to Yahoo News , this is the first time since the Ukraine support group was established in April 2022 that the US has hosted a monthly meeting without any support money or weapons to transfer to Ukraine.

The US Congress has yet to pass the Ukraine aid budget as proposed by the White House, so in the meantime, the US will have to rely on its allies to fill the gap.

Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said earlier that the meeting of about 50 countries on January 23 focused on long-term needs. The last US security aid to Ukraine was on December 27, 2023, with $250 million in weapons, including 155mm artillery shells, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and other items.

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