As was mentioned in the comments a couple of days ago, seems Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was hospitalized after elective surgery last week, and was non compos mentis unavailable from Monday through Thursday. Whatever the operation was supposed to have done, apparently it became serious enough to keep him out of action until Friday. Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks has filled in (while on a previously scheduled leave.) ‘Ceptin’ she wasn’t told until Wednesday. She thought he was working from home.
Also kept out of the loop for days were President Biden, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, the White House Chief of Staff, other senior White House officials and the second in command at the Pentagon.
Hicks, who was on a previously scheduled vacation in Puerto Rico was not told Austin had been hospitalized until Thursday. As soon as she found out her senior was hospitalized, she planned to put out a press statement and go back to Washington, D.C. on Friday, a senior U.S. defense officials confirmed with Fox News. Fox News
Well, at least they eventually told her.
Politico reported that General Charles Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, did not learn of Austin’s hospitalization until Tuesday.
The Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment on when Hicks and Brown learned of Austin’s hospitalization.
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said during a press conference on Sunday that he “wasn’t aware of his medical issue” and had spoken to Austin last weekend. Reuters
Nice. Well, I am sure he cleared it with his boss.
The Pentagon did not tell President Joe Biden and other top officials about Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s hospitalization for three days, three U.S. officials said. Politico
Not sure Biden would have comprehended it had he been told. “Austin? Great music, lotta gay guys. My kinda town” is what I’d expect.
Now consider this… we had essentially a total breakage in the chain of command for at least a day or two, and this administration is so screwed up no one did anything or noticed!
Guess if there is any consolation, it is doubtful Austin was getting neutered as some sort of DEI initiative. Hard to cut off somethings there is no evidence of him having.
Under the law, who/what positions make up the National Command Authority. Inquiring minds would like to know
Since 2002, according to the unified command plan, it has been the President of the United States and the SecDef. The SecDef issues orders directly to the service secretaries.
So in the morning, after Biden wakes up, they change his diaper and give him a shot of “B12”. They get an up-down nod that he understands that he is still the President of the United States. After that his finger is on the button all morning until it’s nap time. Then they give him some “warm milk and cookies” then the SecDef picks up the ball again. That is basically how the day goes.
Now I want milk, cookies and a nap. Dang it.
Fuckin’ lovely, isn’t it? This administration is so jacked up, they’ll likely try to blame Donald Trump for that.
You know Trump caused this illness along with this Administration’s many troubles and ineptitude.
I also couldn’t find anyone all last week.
How did austin’s MIA get past Herr bidens puppeteer obama.
I’d like a reporter to ask if Obama was notified, since he’s obviously running the country- not FJB.
My guess is Austin made the leap and transitioned which was the only natural thing to do…
Ya know from being a pussy to having one…
That wasn’t it at all. When you go to the ER, and you have something shoved up your butt, they don’t care how it got there. The only want to know how big is it, how deep is it and how long has it been there. Those all make a difference in how hard it is to get it out.
“Why?” Isn’t really a question that matters.
They had to remove the midget.
The midget went in to catch the gerbil.
Lloyd just wanted to keep the transition a surprise until “it’s” coming out party.
That was my thought. He went to have his mangina built (so that he would fit in with his new tranny military) and they botched the job, so he had to go back for a do-over.
Did they put an extra stitch or 2 in to tighten it up for his lover?
Getter her bottom surgery completed?
Not sure which is worse- the apparent cover-up by the Pentagon or that the SECDEF is so ineffectual that nobody noticed his absence.
I’m sure everyone that called his office wanting to talk to him were just told he was out and to leave a message.
My thoughts as well. Either way, we’re fooked.
Makes me wonder how much better things were while no one was in charge?
6 of 1, half a dozen of the other.
They tried to implant a spine and his body rejected it.
This ain’t the first time DoD has gone secret squirrel on the White House. Everybody remembers when GEN Milley called up the Chicoms during the last election cycle and basically told them he was the true leader of the US military, not President Trump.
If you want to secure a Dacha for yourself in Montana after the invasion you have to think ahead.
The Biden associates already have theirs picked out.
That was the reason for the Chinese spy balloon. It was scoping out properties.
Want to bet this is just a bunch of incompetent staff that Austin has surrounded himself with they all thought someone else had notified the appropriate people? And finally at some meeting everyone was like “my job to call? I thought you were going to call?”
They are already throwing the staff under the bus. I think the average American doesn’t even want to know all the medications that the POTUS takes every day just to appear functioning.
Just shows to go ya…the SECDEF isn’t all that important in the grand scheme of things.
“You mean to tell me an entire American base fell off the net and no one noticed?”
Our global adversaries forbade attacking for fear of encountering someone competent in charge I am sure.
The Secretary of
DefenseWarOffensive has been braindead for a while so……………………..:Eve of destruction, tax deduction
City inspectors, bill collectors
Mod clothes in demand, population out of hand
Suicide, too many bills, hippies moving to the hills
People all over the world are shouting, “End the war.”
And the band played on
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5P7x4vh_ts
Just more evidence of the shear incompetence of the current (s)elected administration. As if we needed more evidence.
Gentlemen…Prepare to defend yourselves! IYKYK
I usually receive daily updates about SECDEF activities and didn’t even notice that the last message was 12/18;
Austin, Gallant Discuss Continuing Operations Against Hamas
Dec. 18, 2023 | By Jim Garamone
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III discussed the goals and objectives of Israel’s campaign against the Hamas terror group in Gaza with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in Tel Aviv today.
The officials also talked about how to reduce harm to civilians in the battlespace and the need to ensure a sustained flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, Austin said at a news conference following the meeting. Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also participated in the high-level talks.
This just reinforces what I’ve been telling one of my buddies for months We don’t have any clue who is really in charge. President Biden may not have known Austin was out of commission, but whoever is really making the decisions did. We are doomed.
He’s missing his cocksuckers tab
Anybody remember all the bitchin and moaning by the major news outlets about putting Flag Officer promotions on hold a month ago, and how it was a drastic threat to our National Security?
Pepperidge Farms remembers.
Talk about proving the “peter principle” in action. The DOD is so ineffective and out of touch, no one knew the boss was gone. In this case the left hand doesn’t even know the right hand exists.
Brings up another question. Since Austin was off for “elective” surgery that means he had prior notice of his absence from work. Why didn’t he bother to let his #2 know about it?
The Clown Show continues unabated.
Oh yeah, we noticed it’s leaderless. And then Austin was hospitalized.
But if PFC Snuffy does not let his SGT know where he is….
my reaction as well.
C’mon, man, this is not only the First African American Secretary of Defense, but the first to command a division, corps, and field army in combat…
Are any of us surprised that this would happen? More importantly, would any of us have been let off the hook if our command wasn’t made aware that we were out of the fight? SGT fm2176 goes to the ER without notifying his Squad Leader = Failure to Report (FTR) at formation. Maybe the 1SG wants to make a big deal of it, maybe not, but I’m getting an earful regardless. Best case, I’m on the shitlist for a day or two. Worst case, Article 15. Of course, it all depends on the level at which my absence is caught and my rapport with leadership. Maybe the Squad Leader is able to cover it up, or maybe the Battalion CSM happened to be walking by when the PSG tries to relay the news quietly to the 1SG.
Regardless, this failure of communication and accountability should not be acceptable.
Seems like someone’s executive assistants should be getting hammered right now. All jokes about SECDEF aside (except the spine one above), the EAs are responsible to cross talk and prevent awkward surprises like this. For example, lacking a personal leave plan for the recent Christmas leave period, I never responded to my command’s request for key leader leave dates. But when their final plan was put together, someone had tracked down the leave i had finally submitted and entered it in the master plan. People do this sort of stuff on auto-pilot to keep the commands functioning. That person fumbled. (Granted, SECDEF should have asked the question, though (big bucks, and all that…).
Ahem….
I can’t believe YOU people…
Just ’cause it’s a theme song don’t make it not true! 😉
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHDwRECFL8M
Big deal. Austin has been unaccounted for since before the Afghanistan withdrawal debacle.
My only question is if the doctors were able to remove Austin’s head out of his ass?
Lips from Joes ass… Fixed it
PINO the Potatus can’t remember his SECDEF’s name most days. Shit-fir-Brains had another one of those moments again when he looked totally lost. Skip to 00:49.
Joe Biden appears puzzled amid arrival in Delaware – YouTube
They’ll have create and put him in for a new MIA award… aka the “Where’s Waldo Medal”
Statement From Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Officials on Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III’s Medical Care
JAN. 9, 2024
Dr. John Maddox, Trauma Medical Director, and Dr. Gregory Chesnut, Center for Prostate Disease Research of the Murtha Cancer Center Director, at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, provided the following statement today regarding Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III’s medical care:
As part of Secretary Austin’s routinely recommended health screening, he has undergone regular prostate specific antigen (PSA) surveillance. Changes in his laboratory evaluation in early December 2023 identified prostate cancer which required treatment. On December 22, 2023, after consultation with his medical team, he was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and underwent a minimally invasive surgical procedure called a prostatectomy to treat and cure prostate cancer. He was under general anesthesia during this procedure. Secretary Austin recovered uneventfully from his surgery and returned home the next morning. His prostate cancer was detected early, and his prognosis is excellent.
On January 1st, 2024, Secretary Austin was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center with complications from the December 22 procedure, including nausea with severe abdominal, hip, and leg pain. Initial evaluation revealed a urinary tract infection. On January 2, the decision was made to transfer him to the ICU for close monitoring and a higher level of care. Further evaluation revealed abdominal fluid collections impairing the function of his small intestines. This resulted in the back up of his intestinal contents which was treated by placing a tube through his nose to drain his stomach. The abdominal fluid collections were drained by non-surgical drain placement. He has progressed steadily throughout his stay. His infection has cleared.