“We’ll see, you know, when he can be released, but obviously they still feel like he may need some additional care…Part of that is just physical therapy,” Kirby told CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

Kirby said “there is routine regular communication” between President Joe Biden and Austin and that the secretary remains “actively involved and engaged” from the hospital.

Austin remains hospitalised and is in good condition, the Pentagon said on Sunday, adding that it did not yet have a specific date for his release.

Austin, 70, was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland on Dec 22 to treat prostate cancer. He returned to the hospital on Jan 1 due to complications including a urinary tract infection and has remained there ever since.

Biden on Friday said he has confidence in Austin despite what the president agreed was a lapse in judgment by the Pentagon chief over his secret hospitalisation.

Austin’s failure to tell Biden he was hospitalised drew criticism from lawmakers and caught the White House by surprise.