Hey everyone , good afternoon . Just wanted to give you all a quick update on some recent happenings . So , the Secretary of Defense ' s Chief of Staff asked for a review to look into what happened when Secretary Austin was hospitalized in January and the Deputy Secretary had to step in . The review was finished and Secretary Austin has signed off on some actions to improve things based on the findings . We ' ve shared a summary of the review and the Secretary ' s memo with Congress . The review found that the Deputy Secretary was able to handle the duties of the Secretary during that time , but also pointed out some areas for improvement . We ' ve already made some changes to our processes to make sure things run smoother in the future . Just wanted to keep you all in the loop . Also , the Chiefs of Staff for the Secretary and Deputy Secretary have given written guidance and communicated expectations for sharing information between the Secretary and Deputy Secretary and their immediate staff . The Secretary has directed six additional recommendations to be implemented , most within the next 90 days . These recommendations aim to ensure that key department officials in the order of succession are familiar with processes and procedures , and that there is a reporting protocol for personnel supporting the Secretary and Deputy Secretary . The department will also review and update internal reporting requirements related to transfer - of - authorities situations and ensure continuity of operations plans are up to date . These actions show our commitment to improving our internal processes . The unclassified summary and secretary ' s memo can be found on the DOD website . Lastly , the United States and United Kingdom , with support from other countries , conducted strikes against military targets in Yemen to protect international mariners and restore freedom of navigation . The strikes aimed to disrupt the capabilities of the Houthi militia , who have been conducting reckless attacks in the Red Sea and surrounding areas . It ' s important to note that the Houthis have shown no concern for the regional and humanitarian impact of their attacks . The United States will take necessary action to defend lives and ensure the free flow of commerce in this critical waterway . GEN . RYDER: Well , Tara , as the Secretary has mentioned , he takes full responsibility for not informing the President and the White House sooner . The review also points out that there should be better guidance on how decisions are made , executed , and communicated . During the review , conducted by the Office of the Director of Administration and Management , no evidence of intentional wrongdoing or attempts to hide information was found . As you ' ve seen , we have already taken steps to improve communication with organizations like the White House , as demonstrated during the Secretary ' s visit to Walter Reed on February 11 . Again , we want to make it clear to the Houthis that there will be consequences if they continue with their illegal attacks . These attacks are causing harm to economies in the Middle East , damaging the environment , and disrupting the delivery of humanitarian aid to Yemen and other countries . Now , let ' s move on to your questions . We ' ll start with Associated Press , Tara . GEN . RYDER: Yes , the Secretary is aware of the situation . The Air Force has confirmed the death of Airman Bushnell and plans to provide more information once next of kin notifications are completed . It is a tragic event , and our condolences go out to the Airman ' s family . As for the incident itself , the D . C . Metropolitan Police Department is the primary authority for addressing any questions regarding it . So , for any further details , I would suggest reaching out to them . Q: Is the Secretary concerned that this incident may indicate a deeper issue , such as military personnel being worried about the use of weapons and support for Israel on civilians in Gaza? GEN . RYDER: The Secretary is aware of the situation and is monitoring it . However , as I mentioned earlier , the D . C . Metropolitan Police Department is responsible for providing information about this incident . Q: Hi , General Ryder . Thanks for taking the time to do this . First , regarding the 30 day review , after reading the unclassified summary , it seems like there was a lack of communication due to privacy laws . However , the Secretary is a public figure and high in the line of succession to the presidency . How did privacy prevent this information from reaching the Commander in Chief? Q: Secondly , there was an incident yesterday where an active - duty service member set himself on fire in front of the Israeli embassy to protest U . S . support for Israel ' s operations in Gaza . Has the Secretary been informed about Airman Bushnell? Is he concerned that this incident reflects a larger issue within the military regarding U . S . support for the ongoing operation?Q: Why wasn ' t Secretary Hicks advised to return to D . C . ? Ryder: The decision to transfer authority was made based on the procedures in place at the time , without providing a detailed explanation . The Secretary ' s team was dealing with a unique situation and made the decision accordingly . Medical privacy laws , privacy concerns , and the evolving nature of the Secretary ' s medical condition all played a role in the decision - making process . The Deputy was notified on January 4th due to these factors . Jennifer Q: Who conducted the investigation and is it independent of the Defense Secretary ' s Office? Ryder: The investigation was conducted by Jennifer Walsh , a career civil servant , and her team . It ' s independent of the Defense Secretary ' s Office . Ryder: So , basically , since the attacks by Hamas on October 7th , we ' ve been focusing on a few key areas set out by the Secretary of Defense . We ' re making sure to protect U . S . forces and citizens in the region , supporting Israel ' s right to defend itself , working with Israel to release hostages from Hamas , and trying to prevent the conflict from escalating further . Our approach is based on these objectives , and we ' re emphasizing the importance of civilian safety and humanitarian assistance in all our conversations with Israel . So basically , we realized there was a process improvement needed and on January 8th , we took steps to fix it . When the Secretary went to the hospital , the transfer of authority was communicated . The Secretary ' s team decided to transfer authority to the Deputy Secretary when he was moved to the critical care unit on January 2nd . This was because they knew he wouldn ' t have access to communications . There was never a gap in authority or command and control . The Secretary ' s aides made the decision to transfer authority , as the Secretary was unable to access secure communications in the critical care unit . So basically , once they realized he wouldn ' t have secure communications , they went ahead and transferred his authorities to the Deputy Secretary as a standard procedure . The important thing to note is that there was never a gap in command and control . We take civilian control of the military very seriously . The Secretary or Deputy Secretary were always ready to perform their duties . They ' ve learned from this situation and made improvements to their processes . The staff acted quickly to ensure there were no gaps in command and control . The transfer of authority was initiated promptly after the Secretary went into critical care . The review confirmed there was never a gap in command and control . The specific timeline of the transfer isn ' t being disclosed , but it was done promptly to prevent any gaps . As for the Secretary saying there was no culture of secrecy on February 1st , that ' s a different issue . Yeah , so basically the Secretary was in the hospital needing more intense care , and his staff made the decision to transfer his authority to the Deputy Secretary because they couldn ' t reach him securely . It was just a precaution to ensure no gaps in command . The staff took initiative because the Secretary was focused on his health . It was a unique situation , but they did what they thought was best at the time . Yeah , we know there are areas where we can improve our processes . We ' ve already made some changes , like making sure there are clear procedures for notifying why things are being transferred and who is making those decisions . As for protests in the military , I ' m not aware of any other acts like self - immolation . And regarding the delay in notifying the White House about the cancer diagnosis , Secretary Austin has taken responsibility and acknowledged the need for better communication . We ' ve made improvements and changes to our procedures to address these issues . And as for transparency , we ' re committed to providing more information and addressing any unanswered questions . As the Secretary mentioned , we ' re committed to being transparent and giving you as much information as we can . This summary was put together by the Office of the Director of Administration and Management to capture unclassified information from the classified report . The Secretary spoke to you earlier this month and will be testifying to the HASC later this week . We ' re fully supporting and cooperating with the ongoing DOD IG review , which may address some of your questions . However , I ' d have to refer you to them for more details . In response to your follow - up about the Secretary , he did not instruct anyone on his staff to keep his hospitalization a secret . We ' ve acknowledged the shortcomings in our processes , and all eight recommendations from the 30 - day review will be implemented . I understand that you ' re looking for precise details about who knew what and when , but we ' re doing our best to provide as much information as possible and address the findings of the review . But if we take a step back and focus on what this review was about , it was mainly about the Secretary ' s hospitalization and the transfer of authorities . We recognized that there were some process shortfalls that needed to be addressed , and we have provided as much information as possible about the situation . The primary focus of the review was to identify areas where we can improve processes to prevent this from happening again . Recently , when the Secretary went back to Walter Reed , we saw some process improvements in action . The determination on whether the guidelines are sufficient to prevent this from happening again will be made by the Secretary and the Deputy Secretary , who will also oversee the implementation of the recommendations . The Chief of Staff was notified about the Secretary ' s hospitalization on January 2nd , and the Deputy Secretary ' s staff was informed on January 4th . As for repercussions for any shortfalls in the process , we are still evaluating that . So , like I said , the Secretary himself said that he ' s ultimately responsible . He admits that we should have done a better job at notifying the necessary people . But I must say , the Secretary is really proud of his team . The review showed that there was no ill intent or hiding information , but rather dedicated public servants trying to do their job for national security . So , that ' s all I ' ll say about that . Thanks . Now , onto the phone . Meaghan asked about privacy concerns and it seems like there ' s some confusion about who is bound by HIPAA . The senior military aide was able to inform the Chief of Staff without violating HIPAA , so it would make sense that informing Congress or the White House wouldn ' t be a violation either . So , my question is , what privacy laws are people actually following? Is there a need for clarification? And if there were already privacy concerns , what changed on Thursday that made OSD decide to inform the White House and Congress? General Ryder: Yeah , just to clarify , I ' m referring to the review ' s findings on how we ended up where we did . It was about perceptions of medical laws and protecting the boss ' s privacy . We ' ve learned from that and the Secretary himself recognizes the need for more transparency in his role . Since then , we ' ve been working hard to provide more information about his medical status when he goes to the hospital . So , what I ' m highlighting here is what the review found on why things happened the way they did . Q: Okay , so there was confusion about privacy and who should be informed . What I also want to point out is that throughout this process , the Secretary never thought someone should inform his boss that he won ' t be working tomorrow or possibly for the rest of the week , or that he ' ll be in the hospital ' s ICU . It was all decisions made by outside forces . I know the Secretary took responsibility for what he did or didn ' t do , but I just want to make it clear that he never thought about telling his boss that he wouldn ' t work and that he would handle things himself . GEN . RYDER: Yeah , Meaghan , well , again , I ' d refer you back to his comments in his press briefing , where he explained his reasoning . He wasn ' t making excuses , just giving an explanation for why he didn ' t want to bother the President with that information . He also didn ' t tell anyone to keep his hospitalization a secret , and he trusted the staff to do their jobs . And in terms of the staff , they were just following the usual procedures in place at the time when the Secretary couldn ' t access his secure communications . They took initiative without fully considering the bigger picture . So , we understand . . .

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