Pentagon inspector general announces review of Austin hospitalization, notification

• The Pentagon's inspector general has launched a formal investigation into Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's failure to notify the White House and Congress of his emergency hospitalization.
• The inspector general's office is an independent watchdog that monitors Defense Department compliance.
• Austin kept the White House and members of his own staff in the dark for days while he was in the ICU for complications from prostate cancer surgery.
• Austin delegated certain duties to his deputy but also did not tell her of that power transfer for days.

The Defense Department inspector general's office has launched a formal investigation into Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's failure to notify the White House and Congress of his emergency hospitalization.

The inspector general's office will "assess whether the DoD's policies and procedures are sufficient" to ensure proper communication when senior leadership is unavailable for medical or other reasons.

The inspector general's office is independent from the Pentagon. It requested that Austin "designate a staff member to serve as our point of contact" by Jan. 16.

For at least three days, Austin did not tell President Joe Biden and Congress that he had been admitted to the intensive care unit for complications following prostate cancer surgery.

During that time, Austin transferred certain operational responsibilities to his second-in-command. But for several days, Austin did not tell his deputy, who was in Puerto Rico at the time, that he had transferred authority to her.

In a statement Jan. 5, Austin said that he "could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed."

"This was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure,"