Published on January 12, 2024, 12:22 am

Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, primarily Republicans, have called for a formal briefing regarding the non-disclosure of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s hospitalization. The demand was brought forth via a letter issued on Wednesday.

Senator Roger Wicker, Mississippi’s representative and lead Republican on the committee alongside 11 other GOP colleagues, mandated that pertinent Department of Defense officials provide a full briefing by January 19. The motive behind this arises from Austin’s lack of transparency during his stay at the hospital from January 1 to late afternoon on January 5.

In Senator Wicker’s words etc., referring to Austin’s then condition as “an intolerable breach of trust with the American people at a dangerous moment for U.S. national security.” He reiterated that maintaining clear and open communication forms an essential part of their responsibility towards safeguarding national safety.

The GOP members emphasized their expectations from Pentagon officials to furnish details about Austin’s capability during his hospitalization duration, unravel how procedural flaws in notification emerged and elaborate upon how Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks might have fulfilled Austin’s responsibilities while vacationing in Puerto Rico.

Austin was rushed to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center via an ambulance on January 1 due to severe pain following an elective procedure performed on December 22 for prostate cancer treatment. The Congress was informed only as late as January 5 about Austin’s hospitalization condition, a day past notifying heightened security personnel including the president and deputy secretary of defense.

This timeline coincided with America’s retaliatory airstrike against militants based in Baghdad responsible for multiple attacks against US soldiers deployed in Iraq and Syria – actions sanctioned by both President Joe Biden and Secretary Austin prior to the latter falling ill.

A fellow committee member from Iowa, Republican Senator Joni Ernst frowned upon this reckless disregard towards duly informing Congress in adherence with the law while US troops were being targeted abroad. “Our Sec Def went missing in action,” stated Ernst post-publication of the letter on social media.

Acknowledging the indiscretion on his part, Austin conceded that he might have been more upfront about his hospitalization. He refrained from disclosing his cancer prognosis detected in early December that resulted in subsequent medical interventions until late re-hospitalization period.

Republicans of the House Armed Services Committee initiated their investigations concerning Austin on Tuesday. Although Wicker foresees no potential resignations, he envisions more candid disclosures involving Congress from the administration henceforth. Wicker also hinted at possible rule-violations by Austin for not duly notifying Hicks or White House officials regarding his condition.

Either she failed to comply with statutory requirements or was kept in oblivion about critical Intel damaging her ability to fulfill these requirements, alleged Senator Wicker’s letter. The Department of Defense will respond directly to lawmakers post as per standard procedural norms followed when responding to Congressional letters.

This important piece of real news highlights a significant concern around transparency from trusted government officials and emphasizes why we need a clear Christian worldview in situations like these to follow truth and integrity over self-service.