Biden’s top military adviser is receiving treatment for an ‘emergent bladder issue’, with deputy Kathleen Hicks taking over his duties

Joe Biden’s top military adviser, Lloyd Austin, has been hospitalized because of an “emergent bladder issue”, and has transferred his duties to deputy secretary of defense Kathleen Hicks.

The defense secretary’s admission to Walter Reed national military medical center was announced early Sunday evening, with the Pentagon outlining his condition in a statement.

Austin is scheduled to travel to Brussels for a Wednesday meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. It was not clear if his hospitalisation would affect those travel plans.