White House Orders Review After Austin’s Undisclosed Hospitalization

A top White House official ordered cabinet secretaries on Tuesday to keep his office informed when they may not be able to perform their duties after Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III was hospitalized for several days last week without telling President Biden or his staff.

In a memo, Jeffrey D. Zients, the White House chief of staff, directed cabinet officers to evaluate their current policies for delegating authority when a secretary is incapacitated and to forward those procedures to the White House for review. In the meantime, Mr. Zients made clear that White House officials expected to be kept up to date about developments like major medical issues.

“Notify the Offices of Cabinet Affairs and White House Chief of Staff in the event of a delegation of authority or potential delegation,” Mr. Zients wrote in the memo, which was obtained by The New York Times. “This notification should occur when agencies anticipate or are preparing for a delegation of authority and again when the delegation occurs.” He added that he wanted any such notification “in writing.”

The directive by Mr. Zients reflected the sense of consternation in the West Wing that the nation’s top defense official, who is part of the nuclear chain of command, could be in the intensive care unit for so long without the president or other major national security officials being aware of it. Even Mr. Austin’s deputy secretary, who would be called upon to act in a crisis in his absence, was not told at first.

Mr. Biden has signaled that he does not plan to fire Mr. Austin because of the incident despite calls by some Republicans to do so, but people close to the White House described a deep frustration and bafflement among some in the president’s team. Mr.