The secretary faced pointed bipartisan criticism at a congressional hearing for his failure to notify President Biden about his hospital stay last month.
Lawmakers fault Defense Secretary Austin for a failure of leadership over his secret hospital stay lasvegassun.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from lasvegassun.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Members of the House Armed Services Committee have said they back the idea, which the Army has now started to embrace as it looks for solutions to poor living conditions for soldiers on base.