The U.S. defense secretary on Jan. 23 appeared for the first time in public since his secret hospitalization, logging onto a meeting from his home.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, 70, attended a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.
“I urge this group to dig deep to provide Ukraine with more lifesaving ground-based air defense systems and interceptors,” Mr. Austin said in opening remarks broadcast from his home in Virginia, where he is still recuperating after prostate cancer surgery.
Mr. Austin, a retired general, secretly underwent surgery for prostate cancer in December 2023. He was rushed to the hospital on New Year’s Day with intense pain, including abdominal pain, officials have since disclosed.
Mr. Austin was in the hospital without the knowledge of the White House until Jan. 4. The public was not alerted until Jan. 5.
The reason for the hospitalization was not disclosed until Jan. 9.
President Joe Biden has not moved to terminate Mr. Austin, and the White House has said it would not accept his resignation if it were offered.
Members of Congress have introduced an impeachment resolution due in part to how the hospitalization was kept secret. Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.), author of the resolution, said that Mr. Austin’s authorization from the hospital of missile strikes in Yemen has added to the urgency to remove the defense secretary.
“I am sympathetic to Austin’s diagnosis, but if he is going to refuse to resign, then follow-up that refusal with blatant endangerment of the American people, Congress has no choice but to impeach him for failing to uphold his oath to defend the American people,” Mr. Rosendale said in a statement.
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said on Jan. 18 that Mr. Austin should appear before the panel and testify on the delay in disclosing the hospitalization.
“I am alarmed you refused to answer whether you instructed your staff to not inform the president of the United States or anyone else of your hospitalization,” Mr. Rogers wrote.
Mr. Austin was discharged on Jan. 15, doctors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland said. They said Mr. Austin would be undergoing physical therapy as part of his recovery.
The Pentagon said that Mr. Austin “will recuperate and perform his duties remotely for a period of time before returning full-time to the Pentagon.” Officials said Mr. Austin “has full access to required secure communications capabilities.”
Mr. Austin established the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, an international group to support Ukraine, in April 2022.
U.S. officials hosted the group’s monthly meeting as they wait for Congress to pass a new budget, which may or may not include additional funds for Ukraine as the country battles Russia.
“Even though we aren’t able to provide our security assistance right now, our partners are continuing to do that,” deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters on Monday.
She said recently that “Congress’ continued failure to act endangers the United States’ national security, the NATO alliance and the rest of the free world.”
More than $110 billion in aid for Ukraine and Israel is stalled over disagreements between Congress and the White House over other policy priorities, including additional security for the U.S.-Mexico border, where illegal immigration has spiked to record levels under President Joe Biden.
The United States has provided Ukraine more than $44.2 billion in security assistance since Russia invaded in February 2022.
The Pentagon announced its last security assistance for Ukraine on Dec. 27, 2023, a $250 million package that included 155 mm rounds, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, and other high-demand items drawn from existing U.S. stockpiles.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday announced a new $1.2 billion joint contract to buy more than 222,000 rounds of 155 mm ammunition, a contract that will be used to backfill allies that have pushed their own reserves to Kyiv.
Mr. Austin said that Ukraine’s fight against Russia, which is headed by President Vladimir Putin, “is important for all of our countries.”
He added: “Ukraine’s incredibly brave troops are continuing their battle against the Kremlin’s invaders, against a vast front line in Ukraine’s east and south in bitter winter weather. Ukraine’s defenders continue to inflict significant losses on the Kremlin’s forces. Putin continues to sacrifice staggering numbers of Russian troops in his rash and reckless war of choice, and Putin hopes that missiles and drones will demoralize the Ukrainian people and break the fighting spirit of the Ukrainian military.”
That’s when he urged partners to “dig deep” to provide more money for Ukraine.
The United States and approximately 30 international partners are also continuing to train Ukrainian forces and, to date, have trained a total of 118,000 Ukrainians at locations around the world, said Col. Marty O’Donnell, spokesman for U.S. Army Europe and Africa.
The United States has trained approximately 18,000 of those fighters, including approximately 16,300 soldiers in Germany. About 1,500 additional fighters are currently going through training.
