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WEKU
James Doubek

The Pentagon's 2nd in command was not informed of defense secretary's hospitalization

Lloyd Austin Pentagon Surgery NPR
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks during a joint press conference with Israel's defense minister in Tel Aviv on Dec. 18, 2023. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images)

The No. 2 official at the Pentagon was kept in the dark about Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's hospitalization even after she was filling in for him, according to a senior defense official.

Austin was hospitalized on Jan. 1 for complications from an elective procedure.

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