The US Secretary of Defense was transferred to the intensive care unit

DrUS Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was transferred to the intensive care unit after being admitted to a military hospital near Washington. The hospital said in a statement on Sunday evening (local time) that after a series of tests and examinations, he will continue to be cared for and monitored closely.

Doctors added that the current bladder problem is not expected to affect his expected full recovery. His cancer prognosis remains excellent. At this stage, it is not clear how long the 70-year-old minister will remain in hospital.

Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder initially announced that Austin had been transferred to a military hospital near Washington due to symptoms of a severe bladder problem. He has the necessary means of communication with him to carry out his duties from the hospital. A few hours later, Representative Kathleen Hicks was said to have assumed his duties.

Austin did not return to work at the Pentagon until the end of January after a long period of illness. At the beginning of the year, he came under fire for keeping a secret about his prostate cancer and hospital stay following complications from the procedure.