911 Call From Defense Secretary's Residence Shows Intent to Keep Hospitalization a Secret

As of Tuesday, January 16, 2024, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has been either hospitalized or "working from home" for the entire year, despite the increasing hostilities in the Middle East. According to aides and White House spokespeople, Austin has approved and overseen numerous military operations during that time from wherever he's been, without skipping a beat, and without any type of secure comms compromise, just as if he was in his office at the Pentagon, with all of the advanced technology available there.

Once it was learned that Austin had been taken by ambulance from his residence to Walter Reed on New Year's Day, folks on the conservative side of the aisle wondered how all of this could have happened without somebody in Washington - usually a very gossipy town, especially when it comes to administration officials - mentioning something to a reporter.

The audio of the 911 call also reveals some new information about the Secretary of Defense’s medical condition at the time. The Secretary of Defense was not reporting any chest pain at the time, the aide said on the call. He also confirmed that Austin has not passed out and did not feel like he was going to pass out. When asked, the aide confirmed the Defense Secretary was alert and not confused.

The identity of the caller has been redacted to protect personal information, according to the Fairfax County Department of Public Safety Communications. The department redacted other personal and health information from the call as well. Austin’s name and title are redacted on the call, but based on the timing and location—the secretary of defense’s residence—the call can reasonably be assessed to be about his complications.

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Mission to Seize Iranian Missile Parts Bound for Yemen Leaves Two SEALs Missing

Navy SEALs carried out a nighttime seizure Thursday of a dhow carrying Iranian-made propulsion, guidance, and warheads for Houthi medium-range ballistic missiles and anti-ship cruise missiles; during the mission, two SEALs went missing in the water.

According to US Central Command, this is the first seizure of what is termed "advanced conventional weapons," which in this case seems to refer to man-portable air defense systems since the Houthis began attacking maritime traffic in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in November. It is also the first capture of Iranian ballistic and cruise missile components since 2019.

Though this is the first seizure of missile components and "advanced conventional munitions," it is not the first boarding and seizure operation. Interdiction operations to stop arms smuggling in the Horn of Africa are ongoing. In January 2023, the destroyer USS The Sullivans boarded a dhow and confiscated over 2,000 AK-47 rifles headed to Yemen. Seizures of illegal drugs are fairly frequent.

The SEALs were operating from the expeditionary mobile base USS Lewis B. Puller along the Somali coast with the mission of stopping the supply of advanced weapons to the Houthis. While supported by helicopters and drones, the SEALs used a small boat, probably the 11-meter Special Warfare Rigid Inflatable Boat, to board.

From what we know, it is impossible to tell if intelligence had flagged this ship as one hauling missile components or if the dhow fit the profile of a smuggler. That said, other interdiction operations have not involved SEALs and have originated from destroyers.

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