Defense Secretary Austin hospitalized

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been hospitalized since Monday, due to complications following a minor elective medical procedure, Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said, Report informs, citing AP.

It was the department’s first acknowledgment that Austin had been admitted - five days earlier - to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Ryder said Friday that it’s not clear when Austin will be released from the hospital, but said the secretary is “recovering well,” adding that he expected “to resume his full duties”.