Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin spoke out for the first time on Thursday (Feb. 1) since his unexplained absence from his job, which turned out to be hospitalization for prostate cancer treatment.

Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, Austin apologized for keeping his medical matters private. “I want to be crystal clear,” he said. “We did not handle this right and I did not handle this right.“

I should have told the president about my cancer diagnosis. I should have also told my team and the American public, and I take full responsibility,” said Austin. “I apologize to my teammates and to the American people.”

Austin, 70, who described himself as a “pretty private guy,” underwent surgery for prostate cancer in December but suffered complications and had to be hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Because of the complications, he was transferred to the hospital’s critical care unit for several days to recover.

Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks assumed the duties of Lloyd’s office while he was out. Each of their staffs were notified of the situation, but he says he never directed anyone on his staff or anywhere else to keep it from the White House.

The secretary had been under criticism for the unexplained absence during a crucial time in the Middle East as the Israel-Hamas war continues to escalate and Yemen’s Houthi rebels attack ships in the Red Sea. But he says his department was focused on its duties and there was no cessation of its responsibilities.

Austin resumed his duties on Jan. 5 while in the hospital. He is currently undergoing physical therapy and continued treatment. 'I won't be ready for the Olympics, but I'll improve," he told reporters.

Lloyd also spoke on the issue of not being public about an illness affecting millions of men and their families.

“I was diagnosed with a highly treatable form of cancer, a pretty common one,” Lloyd explained, noting that 1 in 8 American men will get prostate cancer in their lifetimes. That number narrows to 1 in 6 when it comes to Black men. “So I’m here with a clear message to other men, especially older men; get screened, get your regular checkups, prostate cancer has a glass jaw.

“If your doctor can spot it, they can treat it and beat it,” he continued, noting that his complications were rare. “So you can count on me to set a better example on this issue today and for the rest of my life.”

According to the nonprofit ZERO Prostate Cancer, Black men are more than twice as likely to die from prostate cancer than White men. About 17 Black men die of the disease each day. It also noted research that Black men who receive early state diagnoses were less likely than White men to receive treatment.

Another study from the National Institutes of Health says that Black men are more likely than other demographic groups to delay treatment of a chronic condition and to delay seeking treatment for them. There are multiple factors behind this and there is no singular reason, but racial marginalization is a significant dynamic.

A reporter asked Austin about why he might have kept his diagnosis secret, but he expounded on what it really was.

“It’s probably not an issue of secrecy as much as an issue of privacy,” he said. “You know how private that is and you know what the initial diagnosis feels like. Among the Black community, though, it’s even more a thing that people want to keep private. And again, it’s more about privacy than secrecy.

“In my case I should have informed my boss, I did not. That was a mistake and I apologized to him for not doing so.”