Mike Waltz: Defense Secretary Austin should be 'relieved' for week-long disappearance

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Reacting to the revelation of U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin being hospitalized for a short period of time without initial notice, Florida Republican Rep. Mike Waltz said any other commanding officer would have been “relieved.”

“I wish Secretary Austin the best on his recovery,” Waltz said.

“Any commanding officer in the military would have been relieved for disappearing for a week, not delegating to their deputy, and breaking the chain of command,” he said.

According to a statement obtained by CNN, Austin was admitted into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for “minimally invasive surgery” for prostate cancer late in December.