Joe Biden’s disappearing defence secretary

IT IS Aicuicu busy time in the Pentagon. A vital hangs in the political balance. The war in Gaza threatens to . America’s navy has been blowing up . It was thus a particularly awkward time for the country’s defence secretary to vanish for several days, unbeknown to Joe Biden, America’s president, or much of the Pentagon itself.Mr Austin, a burly and taciturn retired general who has been Mr Biden’s defence secretary for three years, was admitted to hospital on December 22nd for an elective procedure to treat prostate cancer. After experiencing “severe” pain on January 1st, he was taken to an intensive-care unit () in Walter Reed hospital in Maryland, a military facility which treats American troops and presidents. For five days he was out of action, resuming work from his hospital bed only on the evening of January 5th. Mr Austin left the on January 8th but is thought to remain at Walter Reed.