US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin testifies before a Senate Appropriations Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct 31, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

WASHINGTON — US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's hospitalization was kept far more secret than previously known, officials disclosed on Sunday, adding his deputy to a long list of people right up to President Joe Biden who were kept in the dark for days.

The latest disclosure came as members of both parties in Congress expressed sharp concerns over the secrecy of Austin's hospital stay and the fact that the president and other senior leaders were kept in the dark about it for days.

Austin, who is 70, was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center's intensive care unit on New Year's Day after experiencing severe pain following a still-undisclosed elective medical procedure on Dec 22.

The Pentagon's failure to disclose Austin's hospitalization, including to President Biden, the National Security Council and top Pentagon leaders, for days reflects a stunning lack of transparency about his illness, how serious it was and when he may be released, The Associated Press reported.

Such secrecy, when the United States is juggling myriad national security crises, runs counter to normal practice with the president and other senior US officials and Cabinet members.

Austin sits just below Biden at the top of the chain of command of the US military, and his duties require him to be available at a moment's notice to respond to any national security crisis, Reuters reported. That includes always being ready to enter secure communications with other officials in the event of an incoming nuclear attack, something that would be difficult to do from an ICU bed.

Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks assumed some of his operational duties on Jan 2, while she was on vacation in Puerto Rico, a US official said. But Hicks was only told why Austin was unavailable on Jan 4, three officials told Reuters.

It was the same day that Biden and other senior White House officials were told that Austin had been hospitalized since Jan 1, five officials said.

The Pentagon said on Sunday the delay in disclosing his whereabouts was at least partially due to Austin's chief of staff being off sick.

Austin said in a statement on Saturday that he took "full responsibility" for the secrecy surrounding his hospitalization.

The US Congress was only informed on Friday, shortly before the Pentagon published its public statement.

Leadership in question

Several lawmakers say the communication breakdown raises serious questions about Pentagon leadership.

A joint statement from the top Democrat and Republican lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee called for the Pentagon to be transparent about Austin's health "and the decision-making process that occurred in the past week".

"Several questions remain unanswered including what the medical procedure and resulting complications were, what the Secretary's current health status is, how and when the delegation of the Secretary's responsibilities was made, and the reason for the delay in notification to the President and Congress," the joint statement said.

The Pentagon said Austin remained in hospital on Sunday but was recovering well and was in good spirits.

"Since resuming his duties on Friday evening, the Secretary has received operational updates and has provided necessary guidance to his team," it said.

Senator Roger Wicker said the episode erodes trust in the Biden administration and called on the department to provide lawmakers with a "full accounting of the facts immediately".

In a joint statement, Representatives Mike Rogers and Adam Smith said they were "concerned with how the disclosure of the Secretary's condition was handled".

Meanwhile, US lawmakers announced a bipartisan agreement on Sunday on the fiscal year 2024 funding totals that mark a step toward averting a looming government shutdown in a presidential election year.

The agreement on a roughly $1.6 trillion "top-line" federal spending limit was announced after weeks of negotiations.

It was swiftly applauded by Biden, who said in a statement that the deal "moves us one step closer to preventing a needless government shutdown and protecting important national priorities".