Pentagon clears Austin of hospital stay wrongdoing

The Pentagon has cleared US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin of wrongdoing over his failure to disclose hospital stays related to his cancer diagnosis.

A three-page defence department report released on Monday found no "indication of ill intent or an attempt to obfuscate" by Mr Austin or his staff.

The Pentagon chief has apologised for not notifying government leaders about hospital stays in December and January.

Mr Austin, 70, has been undergoing treatment for prostate cancer.

Mr Austin's actions have drawn criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike and stoked concerns about both transparency and security.

The defence secretary is just below the president in the chain of command for the US military and is regarded as one of the most important members of the cabinet.

The unclassified internal review published on Monday partly blames the lack of communication on an "unprecedented situation" and says Mr Austin's staff were attempting to protect his medical privacy.

"The process for making decisions to transfer the Secretary's authority could and should be improved," the report says, adding that "nothing examined during this review demonstrated any indication of ill intent or an attempt to obfuscate".

It says that his team began a "transfer of authority" to his deputy on 2 January - one day after he entered hospital and as he was being taken into critical care.

It was not until 4 January that the White House and Mr Austin's deputy - who was on leave in Puerto Rico - were made aware of his admission to hospital.

Earlier this month, Mr Austin apologised for keeping his medical situation a secret.

"We did not handle this right, and I did not handle this right. I should have told the president about my cancer diagnosis," he said in a news conference.

"I should have also told my team and the American public. And I take full responsibility."

The secretary is expected to testify before the House Armed Services Committee later this week about his failure to advise officials of his illness.