US Defense Secretary Austin has prostate cancer, hospital says

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has prostate cancer, the hospital treating him says.

The disease was recognized early and the prognosis for a cure is "excellent," the hospital near Washington announced on Tuesday.

The 70-year-old has been hospitalized since the beginning of the year due to complications following an operation at the end of December.

The prostate cancer was diagnosed at the beginning of December, the hospital announced. Shortly before Christmas, Austin underwent a minimally invasive surgical procedure.

Austin "recovered from the operation without any problems and returned home the next morning," according to the statement from Walter Reed Military Hospital in Bethesda.

The Pentagon has been criticized for not telling either President Joe Biden or the public quickly about the secretary's condition.