The White House is Lying about Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin
Nobody in the National Command Authority Goes Missing
All personnel in the National Command Authority are tracked 24 hours a day by the NMCC or National Military Command Center. The location of every single National Command Authority Figure is relayed every shift changed at the NMCC and this information is mirrored in the White House Situation Room. It is highly unlikely that the White House or or the NMCC would not know the location of the Secretary of Defense for multiple days across multiple shift changes.
The National Military Command Center.
The Wall Street Journal Article on the Event
Why the New York Times gets in Wrong:
I’m a democrat pro Biden. and you need to report this . Good job
You understand that the Whitehouse didn't know doesn't literally mean no person in the building knew but that Biden and his close staff didn't know right? Whether or not some people in a room in the WH (which has quite a few staffers) knew doesn't tell you if the 'Whitehouse' knew and seems totally irrelevant - and yes obviously people who should have informed the senior administration did know which is why it's so embarrassing.
Sure, maybe it smells funny or you think it's implausible that the NMCC didn't inform the president. I'm not so sure (do they report to Austin). But you don't know if anyone is lying and the difference between a good journalist and someone who shares misinformation is distinguishing between what you know and what you suspect. And if you want to back up a claim like that you better identify a specific statement and the eliminate all other plausible interpretations/possibilities (eg Biden didn't know because the NMCC people assumed Austin had obviously informed people about a volountary surgery).
And for all you've been going on about expertise lately the major news organizations may not have many vets but they are intimately familiar with the Whitehouse and how it works. Much more so than you are (many have worked there and, if not, been invited inside to talk to and chat with the people who do). So it seems a bit ironic for you to be suggesting that you know more than them about this issue.