It appears he was septic. He concealed his inability to carry out his duties from Biden, Congress, the Pentagon, and his Deputy Secretary, Dr. Kathleen Hicks. On January 4th, finally becoming aware of Austin's hospitalization, security adviser Jake Sullivan notified Hicks, who was on vacation in Puerto Rico.

Even though Biden continued to back Austin, Austin was already politically skating on cracked thin ice due to the colossal failure of the Afghanistan military withdrawal. Predictably, he will resign. His presumptive replacement is Hicks. Few are aware of Hicks's woke, deep-state background. Hicks views her Defense Department role as the chief operating officer; in other words, she formulates strategic plans and policy.

Think Tank Cult

Hicks is a policy wonk focusing on climate change, health security, and DEI issues. She holds a Ph.D. in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She previously served as senior vice president, Henry A. Kissinger Chair, and director of the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). CSIS is a hawkish non-profit think tank providing policy solutions to influence political and bureaucrat decision-makers.    

She also served on the Boards of Council on Foreign Relations and the Truman Center for National Policy. She served on the Center's board with Vice Chairman Hunter Biden, Kamala Harris, Jake Sullivan, and Pete Buttigieg, ring leaders in the Biden Administration. The Center promotes critical race and gender theology in the State Department and the military and advocates decarbonizing the military. This is a page out of the script of the Idiocracy movie.

Deputy Secretary Hicks's Woke Policies

Hicks establish the Deputy's Management Action Group (DMAG) to be the Defense Department's principal governance body to address topics from diversity to extremism. You would be correct if you consider Hicks' role similar to the Soviet Union's political commissar.