Kathleen Hicks

He was transferred to the hospital with an emergency bladder problem and transferred authority to his deputy, the Pentagon said.
Austin was hospitalized yesterday for treatment of "symptoms suggestive of an urgent bladder problem," Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said, according to the AP.

The United States Secretary of Defense, Lloyd J. Austin III, has been hospitalized for symptoms of a bladder issue, leading to the transfer of duties to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks. The development was confirmed by Pentagon Press Secretary Major Gen. Pat Ryder on Monday.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who is fighting prostate cancer, transferred his duties to his deputy hours after he was taken to hospital for "an emergent bladder issue," a spokesman said Sunday.