AWOL: A lapse in our national security

By U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer
R-Nebraska

Imagine if a Houthi drone were to hit one of our ships in the Red Sea. Imagine there were an incident in the South China Sea. Or imagine we suffered a terrorist attack here at home. All of these crises are possible — but if any of them had occurred earlier this month, no one would have known where to find our nation’s Secretary of Defense.

If and when we face a national security crisis, the Secretary of Defense’s location and ability to respond cannot be in question. But in early January, both of them were. Secretary Austin failed to notify the president, Congress, or the National Security Council when he was absent for days to undergo a significant medical procedure.

I am grateful that Secretary Austin received the care he needed and that he is recovering well. But the secretary demonstrated bad judgment when he failed to disclose his hospitalization to the people at the helm of our nation.

The Secretary of Defense plays a critical role in our nation’s military operations — he’s the most important advisor to the president on nuclear decisions, and the president relies on his judgment when every second counts. Someone in that position must be wise and reliable. And he must be accountable — to the president, to Congress, and to the American people.

Current law requires the Secretary of Defense to inform Congress of an absence like the one last week. My Senate colleagues and I sent a letter to the secretary that probes who knew about his absence and who took charge of his duties during that time.

I’m glad the Department of Defense’s Office of Inspector General announced it will conduct an independent review of the notification procedures related to Secretary Austin’s hospitalization. Americans deserve answers, and we deserve them soon. I hope this review will include why Congress wasn’t notified as well as senior Department of Defense officials and the administration.

The breakdown in command and communication last week threatened our country’s safety. We are surrounded by adversaries looking to exploit any weakness. The absence of one of our nation’s two National Command Authorities invited a massive vulnerability in our national defense.

Today, our country faces two peer adversaries — China and Russia — with powerful nuclear arsenals. Terrorists bankrolled by Iran brutally attacked our closest ally in the Middle East, Israel, just months ago. Hundreds of people on the terror watch list have flooded across our southern border, and Houthi rebels are targeting our ships in the Red Sea. We cannot afford to keep treating our national defense like an afterthought.

I urge our administration to use this lapse in judgment as a wakeup call. Secretary Austin must be held accountable for his conduct. And the administration itself must be accountable to the American people for its approach to our security. Too often, it’s careless.