 Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has prostate cancer and his recent secret of hospitalization was for surgery and later to treat a urinary tract infection related to that operation. Doctors said Tuesday, the 70-year-old Austin was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on December 22 and underwent surgery to treat the cancer. Austin developed the infection a week later. Senior administration and defense officials were not told for days about his hospitalization or his cancer recording to the doctors. The cancer was detected when Austin had a regular screening in early December. The said he underwent a minimally invasive surgical procedure and went home the next day. But on January 1 he reported nausea and severe abdominal, hip and leg pain due to the infection, they said his prostate cancer was detected early, and his prognosis is excellent. The announcement of the cancer came after days of questions about why Austin had been hospitalized and why President Joe Biden and other top officials hadn't been told about his hospitalization for days. Several Republican lawmakers even said Austin should be ousted earlier Tuesday. With the controversy continuing, the White House Chief of Staff ordered cabinet members or secretaries to notify his office if they ever can't perform their duties. Meanwhile, the Biden administration, reeling from learning of Austin's surprise illness last week, is mounting a policy review. Became the first African American to graduate as Secretary of Defense. My priority