US defense secretary make first public appearance, virtually, since hospitalization

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin looks on during a joint press conference with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant at Israel's Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, Israel December 18, 2023. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made his first public appearance, virtually and from home since his secret hospitalization, during a meeting on Ukraine's military needs on Tuesday.

Austin, 70, was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland on Dec. 22 to treat prostate cancer. He returned to the hospital on Jan. 1 due to complications, including a urinary tract infection. His hospitalization was not revealed until four days later, and the Pentagon did not specify why he was being treated until Jan. 9.