US Defence Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN on Thursday apologized for failing to notify the chain of command when he was admitted to hospital in December.
AUSTIN, 70, was discharged last month as he continues to recover from treatment for prostate cancer.
He said he regretted not handling things right adding that he should have told the president about his cancer diagnosis.
Pentagon chiefs are supposed to be available at a moment’s notice to handle any national security crisis.
In his first news conference since returning to work, AUSTIN said he takes full responsibility and apologize to his teammates and to the American people.
AUSIN said he had never directed anyone in his staff to hide his time in hospital from the White House or the public, but did not answer questions about whether staffers had acted outside of his orders.
AUSTIN had surgery to treat prostate cancer in late December and was readmitted to hospital on New Year’s Day because of complications related to the procedure.
However, senior defence officials and the White House did not learn that AUSTIN was critically ill until three days after his re-admission.
The audio of an emergency call made on the day was released by officials as the result of a freedom of information request.
The heavily redacted four-minute call features a caller asking that an ambulance “not show up with lights and sirens” to transport AUSTIN to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland.
He remained active in his role amid his recovery, and authorized multiple strikes against Yemen-based Houthi militants in the Red Sea from his hospital bed.
President JOE BIDEN has said he remains confident in his secretary’s leadership, but that it was “sub-optimal” that he had not disclosed the seriousness of his illness.
The incident prompted security and transparency concerns and three investigations have since been launched into Mr AUSTIN’S handling of the situation.