Lloyd Austin underwent new hospital treatment for bladder

Duties of US defense secretary, 70, whose cancer treatment in December was initially undisclosed, were briefly carried out by deputy

The US defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, underwent hospital treatment for a bladder issue for the second time in just over three months, the Pentagon announced.

A Pentagon spokesperson, Maj Gen Pat Ryder, said the 70-year-old Austin entered Walter Reed military medical center on Friday evening to undergo what he called “a scheduled, elective, and minimally invasive follow-up non-surgical procedure” to treat his previously disclosed bladder condition.