Breaking: Sec Def Austin Took Meds That Could Impair Cognitive Function While in Sole Command of Pentagon, Watchdog Finds

A watchdog investigation into outgoing Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s hospitalization in 2024 found that his secretive hospital stay resulted in heightened national security risk, in part because Austin took medication with the potential to impair cognitive function while still in sole command of the Pentagon.

The Pentagon’s inspector general interviewed 44 witnesses and reviewed 56 million pieces of data during a year-long investigation into three separate periods when Austin was hospitalized for medical procedures related to prostate cancer and kept the White House and top Defense officials in the dark about what was going on, prompting a political firestorm. The review concludes that Austin needlessly risked national security with his lack of transparency about the medical treatments he received for prostate cancer.

Austin was initially hospitalized in December 2023 for a prostatectomy and spent a day at Walter Reed Medical Center for the procedure. Subsequently, he returned to the hospital on January 1, 2024, because of complications from the prostatectomy after experiencing nausea and severe pain that afternoon.

The next day, Austin received multiple medications that could have influenced his cognitive abilities, although he might not have been aware of it. Austin transferred authority to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks that afternoon while she was in Puerto Rico.

“Secretary Austin received several different medications during the morning of January 2 that had the potential to affect cognitive functions. Secretary Austin may not have been told the potential specific effects of any medication he was administered or the limitations to daily activities, including work, resulting from them,” the review reads.

The report contradicts the Pentagon’s previous denial that Austin took any potentially compromising medications. “I have no indications (of) anything that would affect his decision making,” Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder said in January.

Austin later underwent medical procedures on January 6th and 8th under “moderate sedation,” something he acknowledged when signing consent forms for those operations. The consent forms advised Austin not to engage in activities requiring unimpaired physical or mental abilities for 24 hours after the procedures. But, the inspector general did not find evidence Austin considered transferring authority or that he notified his deputies of the procedures, despite the fact that his condition was sufficient to warrant a notice.

He left the hospital on January 15, only to return again the next month due to further complications. Austin transferred authority on the afternoon of February 11 hours after experiencing the medical issues, the watchdog determined based on testimony and conduct that contradicted Austin’s recollection.

The Pentagon lacked a comprehensive plan for transferring authority and did not have a suitable  notification process for when those situations arose, the inspector general assessed. In the wake of Austin’s hospitalization, the Pentagon established formal, written policies for the Secretary of Defense to transfer authority, and notify the relevant officials when a change takes place.

Nonetheless, the inspector general considers the Pentagon’s updated guidelines to be inadequate, because they do not establish objective criteria for when transfers of power are necessary or define what it means to be medically incapacitated.

Austin’s tenure as Secretary of Defense is ending next week with the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump after serving for the entire Biden administration. Former Fox News host and military veteran Pete Hegseth is likely to replace Austin as head of the Pentagon.

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Sec Def Austin Took Meds That Could Impair Cognitive Function While in Sole Command of Pentagon, Watchdog Finds

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