Since Tuesday, January 16, 20,24, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was either in hospital or “working from home”, despite the increased hostilities throughout the Middle East. Austin, according to White House spokespersons and aides, has overseen and approved numerous military operations from wherever he is, without missing a beat and without any kind of secure communications compromise. It’s as if Austin were in his office, at the Pentagon with the latest technology. Austin spent the first few days of his stay at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in an intensive care unit. No one outside Austin’s immediate circle, or even in the United States Government, knew anything was amiss.
When it was revealed that Austin was taken to Walter Reed by ambulance on New Year’s Day from his home, conservatives wondered how this could have occurred without someone in Washington, which is a gossipy city, particularly when it comes to administration officials, mentioning anything to a journalist. How was it possible that an ambulance could roll up at the home of the Secretary for Defense and take him away without anyone noticing? The location of his house is not secret. PETA activists and others have protested in front of it before.
Now we know that Austin and his aides tried to keep the news about their boss’s location and condition a secret. A recording of Austin’s 911 call was obtained by The Daily Beast through a FOIA Request to the State of Virginia. It revealed that Austin and his staff requested that the ambulance arrive without lights or sirens because they were “trying to remain a bit subtle.”
Can I ask, can the ambulance not arrive with lights and sirens on? The aide replied, “Uhm, I think we’re just trying to be subtle.”
The dispatcher replied that an ambulance could do this, noting “that they usually turn off the lights and sirens when they enter a residential area.” She also added that ambulances are required by law, to operate the lights and sirens on major streets such as Georgetown Pike or Leesburg Pike.
The Daily Beast reported that the recording does not make it clear whether the aide received the request from Austin or was given the instruction by another staff member.
The 911 audio also provides some new details about the health of the Secretary of Defense at that time.
On the phone, the secretary of defense did not report any chest pain. Austin was not in a state of unconsciousness, and he did not feel as if he would pass out. The aide responded that the Defense Secretary is alert and not in a state of confusion when asked.
Why, if all of this is true, did Austin need to wait an ambulance when his staff could have taken him directly to Walter Reed, instead? They were worried about being subtle, right? A 2021 Task and Purpose (and a little Google image search) revealed that Austin’s home is located just off Leesburg Pike near Reston Parkway. It is quite a distance to Walter Reed, Bethesda. But his official vehicles would be able to get there much quicker than civilians.
The Daily Beast – More:
Fairfax County Department of Public Safety Communications reports that the identity of the caller was redacted to protect personal data. Other personal and health data was also redacted from the call.
Austin’s title and name are not visible on the call. However, based on its timing and place (the residence of the secretary of defense), it is reasonable to assume that the call was about Austin’s complications.
Austin was released from Walter Reed on Monday, and according to his staff, he can carry out his duties remotely as he recovers from complications from prostate cancer surgery. Austin has not spoken directly to us, so we will have to take the word of his staff, for whatever it’s worth.
