Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s failure to alert the White House and his own senior staff about his hospitalization early last year after complications from a surgical procedure “unnecessarily” risked national security, the Pentagon’s inspector general said in a critical report released Wednesday.

In an episode that deeply embarrassed the Biden administration, Mr. Austin failed to inform the White House when he was hospitalized in December 2023 for a planned prostatectomy to address prostate cancer. He transferred “certain authorities” to Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks for about 36 hours on December 22, but didn’t tell her the reason for the move.

He went back to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Jan. 1, 2024, due to complications from the surgery. Mr. Austin’s condition worsened on January 2. He was transferred to the hospital’s intensive care unit, where he couldn’t access the secure communications he would need as defense secretary.

The report said that while “certain authorities” were again transferred to Ms. Hicks after his transfer to the ICU, there wasn’t a “common understanding” within the Pentagon that, as a matter of law, she was serving as the acting secretary of defense.

“The ability of the [Defense Department] and the government to operate seamlessly, and the continuity of leadership under any and all circumstances are fundamental to our national security,” Defense Department Inspector General Robert Storch said in a statement after the report was released.

The IG inspectors discovered no adverse consequences to military operations resulting from Mr. Austin’s multiple hospital stays.

However, “the risks to our national defense, including the command and control of the [Defense Department’s] critical national security operations, were increased unnecessarily,” Mr. Storch said.

According to the report, Mr. Austin didn’t meet the requirements to notify both Congress and the White House about his December 2023 prostate cancer surgery while under general anesthesia or the later complications that resulted in his return to the hospital.

Asked at the time about Mr. Austin’s handling of his illness and his communications with the president, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said in January 2024, “It’s not good. It’s certainly not good, which is why we want to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Lawmakers of both parties were also critical of Mr. Austin when the facts were coming to light. “The failure to notify Congress of his inability to perform his duties was a clear violation of the law,” Sen. Roger Wicker, the Mississippi Republican who now chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement.

The Pentagon faced several security challenges while Mr. Austin was in and out of the hospital from December 2023 to February 2024. Ukraine was continuing its grinding defense against Russia’s full-scale invasion and Israel was fighting a war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. On Dec. 18, 2023, the Defense Department announced a major operation in the Red Sea in response to Houthi attacks against international vessels sailing in the strategic waterway.

Mr. Austin’s strong desire for privacy about his medical condition was a thread that ran through each incident reviewed by the IG inspectors.

“Not only did Secretary Austin not tell Deputy Secretary Hicks or his senior staff about his medical condition or appointments, he specifically told one junior staff member [that] ‘if anyone had any questions they’re more than welcome to ask [me] directly,’ an admonition not likely to foster further inquiry,” according to the report.

Mr. Austin later released a statement that acknowledged he should have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed about his stays in the hospital.

“This was my medical procedure and I take full responsibility for decisions about disclosure,” he said.

The Defense Department has taken steps to address concerns about notifications and transfers of authority following Mr. Austin’s release from the hospital. Still, more action is needed to ensure readiness and transparency in the military, the IG chief said.

“These improvements are not just an administrative necessary, they are an operational and national security imperative,” Mr. Storch said.

• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.