After Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was hospitalized and did not report to the White House for several days, veterans reflected on the consequences that Regular Army soldiers would face if they did something similar.

Austin was rushed to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C., on January 1 due to extreme pain. Despite spending several days in the ICU, Austin and the Pentagon did not notify the White House or Congress of the secretary's condition until days after his hospitalization. Despite the communication breakdown, President Joe Biden has no intention of punishing Austin.

Veterans told the Daily Caller that if a service member tried to do what Austin did, going to a doctor's appointment without telling anyone or missing regular duty, they would be punished. (Related: 'It's all for political purposes': Veterans slam White House for boasting about Biden's combat zone visit)

“When a civilian soldier, sailor, airman, or marine goes missing, which is called truancy, depending on the UA's impact, he or she may be subject to restrictions, demotion, reduction in pay, deprivation of security clearance, suspension, or Even a “non-honorable'' discharge'' by Tim W.A. former He has been a Navy SEAL for 22 years and told The Daily Caller that his last name has been kept anonymous so he can speak candidly.

Doocy: “Why should we ever believe anything this administration tells us about anything again?”

The Biden administration lied and covered up Lloyd Austin's prostate cancer, and is definitely lying about Biden's health status. pic.twitter.com/g6Pz92DTBa

— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) January 10, 2024

Despite the fact that Biden and other administration officials participated in the January 1st phone call with Austin, it was not until days later that Biden, along with other Americans, learned of his hospitalization.

According to the Department of Defense, Austin was taken to Walter Reed Hospital on January 1 because he was in extreme pain due to a urinary tract infection. The defense secretary was diagnosed with prostate cancer in early December and underwent surgery related to the diagnosis on Dec. 22, the Pentagon added.

“Never ask your soldiers to do something you would not do yourself. There is no question that this would have been absolutely unacceptable to any other rank-and-file member of the military at any level,” he told the U.S. Army. Republican Florida Rep. Brian Mast, who served for 12 years, told the Daily Caller. “Whether it's this or the failed withdrawal from Afghanistan, President Biden loves to make excuses for senior officials. ”

After the White House was finally informed of Austin's condition, the president's aides had to ask the Pentagon to inform the public about Austin's hospitalization, two senior administration officials told Politico. The Pentagon reportedly has no plans to release details about Austin's hospitalization, and the statement was released under pressure from the White House, with Congress given short notice before publication, Politico reported. .

Thanks to Biden's reckless foreign policy over the past three years, we are now in a dangerous time. Can the White House at least tell us when SINO Lloyd Austin (the titular Director) will be back on the job?

— Ronny Jackson (@RonnyJacksonTX) January 12, 2024

Biden plans to take no action against Austin, but White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients ordered Cabinet members in a memo Tuesday to reconsider how power is transferred. The memo appears aimed at avoiding further communication breakdowns between the White House and his Cabinet, but Austin is not mentioned.

Austin himself was responsible for the communication failure. statement Saturday, vowing to continue to be transparent.

“We know we could have done a better job making sure the public had the right information. We are committed to doing better,” Austin said. “But this is important: This is my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for any disclosure decisions.”

A coalition of Republican lawmakers led by Florida Rep. Aaron Bean introduced a bill Thursday that would require government agencies to immediately notify Congress if a Cabinet member is unable to perform their duties due to an emergency situation.

“I served in the U.S. Navy for 20 years, and you can be a military leader with just a phone call. The way this situation was handled was completely unacceptable,” said Republican Texas Rep. Tony Gonzalez. told the Daily Caller.

Dr. Ronnie Jackson, a Texas Republican and former White House physician, said it was unacceptable that Austin did not disclose his medical condition.

“The fact that Secretary of Defense Austin did not notify the White House that he was hospitalized is unacceptable and dangerous to the national security of the United States. With two major global conflicts underway, Secretary Austin Either he doesn't trust the aging commander-in-chief to provide him with useful information, or given that no one has had to contact him during the Either they are not valuable members, or they are not: a period of continuous, high-level military operations and crisis.

John Kirby says Joe Biden was impressed by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's “leadership” “displayed from a hospital bed.” pic.twitter.com/N8OV5tLYS6

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 12, 2024

Jackson said that while it was unacceptable, she was not shocked to learn that Austin continued to shield his admission to Walter Reed from the White House.

“At a time when the Secretary of Defense is working for a Commander-in-Chief who puts us at risk every day due to obvious but undisclosed health issues, it is important to note that the Secretary of Defense has not disclosed sensitive health information or disclosed his personal information. It's not surprising that he was unwilling to put national security ahead of his political preferences,'' Jackson told the Daily Caller.

Although Austin remains hospitalized at Walter Reed Hospital, he has resumed his duties as Secretary of Defense and is even reported to have ordered attacks on the Iranian-backed Houthis from his hospital bed. according to Go to Business Insider. (Related: Biden calls Houthis a terrorist group despite removing them from list years ago)

“You asked me what would happen if I was sick and didn't tell anyone?” First of all, that doesn't happen in the military chain of command. When I was on a SEAL team, even if I was obviously sick in my apartment in Virginia, I had to go and report and let them know what was going on. You can't just stay home,” former Navy SEAL Rob O'Neill told the Daily Caller.

“Certainly, if you're in a position of authority, you're going to shroud yourself in mystery and not tell anyone,” O'Neill continued. “I didn’t know Joe Biden for days.”