Lloyd Austin, the Secretary of Defense, is still in the hospital following an undisclosed medical procedure, with the Department of Defense refusing to provide any information about his expected release date.

Since January 1, 2024, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin has been hospitalized, and although Pentagon officials have not disclosed the reason for his hospitalization, they have not provided an update on his release date.

Last Monday, Austin was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center due to complications from an elective medical procedure, as stated by Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder.

On December 22, 2023, Austin underwent an elective medical procedure at Walter Reed while on leave. He returned home the following day.

On Jan. 1, he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Walter Reed after experiencing "severe pain."

Austin was kept in the ICU due to privacy and hospital space concerns, despite being placed there for immediate medical attention, as per Ryder's statement.

Planet Chronicle reported that Ryder stated he couldn't disclose more details about Austin's health issues due to privacy concerns.

On Friday, Austin resumed his duties from the hospital and, according to Ryder, he is recovering well and is in good spirits.

"The Secretary has been receiving operational updates and providing guidance to his team since resuming his duties on Friday evening. He has access to all necessary communications capabilities and is monitoring the day-to-day operations of the DoD worldwide."

Austin spoke with President Biden on Saturday and has been in contact with Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. and his senior staff, as per Ryder's statement.

Ryder stated that there is no specific date for Austin's release from the hospital and he couldn't provide details on whether Austin will be conducting in-person press briefings in the upcoming week.