The Defence Secretary was earlier in the afternoon rushed to Walter Reed hospital following complications with his bladder as reported by the Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder.
Unlike the previous scenario, this time the issue has been handled elegantly. The Pentagon went ahead to inform the Congress, Joint Chiefs of staff as well as the White House.
According to Ryder, Austin was transported to Walter Reed hospital at about 2:20 pm by security detail and has retained the duties and responsibilities of his office and his deputy will take up the responsibilities only until further notice.
Travelling with both classified and unclassified communication systems, the is expected to serve his duties out of office.
Austin was expected to travel to Europe for the Ukraine Contact group and NATO Defence Ministerial amid the exodus of this month.
Appointed to the office by President Biden, the General is a United States army veteran having served in the army for 41 years before retiring in 2016 a four star general, the highest rank in the U.S military.
A former survivor of prostrate cancer, the General holds the office as the 76th Secretary since the rebirth of the nation in 1796 and the first and only black to head the pentagon.
