The US Department of Defense (Pentagon) announced that US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was admitted to Walter Reed Military Hospital near Washington last Monday.

“On the evening of January 1, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for complications following a recent elective medical procedure. He is recovering well and is expecting to resume his full duties today. At all times, the Deputy Secretary of Defense was prepared to act for and exercise the powers of the Secretary, if required”, as stated by Defense Department spokesperson Pat Ryder in a statement, without specifying the nature of the complications or the duration of his hospital stay.

The spokesperson added that Austin is recovering well, and he is expected to fully resume his duties, according to AFP.

"At all times, the Deputy Secretary of Defense (Kathleen Hicks) was prepared to act for and exercise the powers of the secretary, if required," Ryder said.

Another Defense Department spokesperson later stated that the deputy secretary "is automatically authorized to perform the duties of the secretary if he is unable to perform them", and that "she did make some routine decisions on his behalf this week."

On Thursday, a military commander and a member of an Iran-backed faction were targeted in a US strike on a Popular Mobilization Forces headquarters in Baghdad. The spokesperson stated, 'The President and US Secretary of Defense (Lloyd Austin) approved the operation in Iraq, and the Secretary was aware of it.'