Army Says Still No Decision on Bowe Bergdahl's Fate

No decision yet on whether Bowe Bergdahl is a deserter.

ByABC News
January 27, 2015, 5:09 PM
This undated image provided by the U.S. Army shows Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.
This undated image provided by the U.S. Army shows Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.
U.S. Army/AP Photo

— -- No decision has been made about Bowe Bergdahl's future, military officials said today, as an Army general continues to review the circumstances surrounding his 2009 disappearance that led to five years in Taliban captivity.

Since his return to the U.S. last year, the Army has investigated whether Bergdahl willfully left his remote outpost in eastern Afghanistan and whether he should face disciplinary action.

A months-long investigation headed by Major General Kenneth Dahl concluded in early October and was then forwarded to Army leaders at the Pentagon.

In late December, the investigation and its recommendations were forwarded to General Mark Milley, who heads U.S. Army Forces Command, for his review of the matter.

It will be Milley who will decide if Bergdahl should face disciplinary action. If warranted, disciplinary action could take the form of either a court martial or some form of non-judicial punishment. Milley may also decide that no punishment is warranted in Bergdahl’s case.

The Army issued a statement today denying media reports that said Bergdahl would be charged with desertion, possibly as early as next week.

Major General Ronald Lewis, the head of Army public affairs, labeled the reports as "patently false."

"To be clear, there have been no actions or decisions on the Sergeant Bergdahl investigation," Lewis said.

The investigation remains with Milley, "who will determine appropriate action -- which ranges from no further action to convening a court-martial," Lewis added.

"There is no timeline to make that decision and General Milley is not being put under pressure to make a decision either way," Rear Admiral John Kirby said at a Pentagon briefing today.

Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, said Milley "is going to be given the time he needs to decide how this case ought to be disposed."

Milley is "still very much in a deliberative process here of working his way through the investigation that General Dahl did. And has come to no conclusions and he has made no decisions," Kirby added.

Bergdahl remains an active-duty soldier assigned to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, until his case is resolved.