Bergdahl faces court-martial for desertion

Charges against U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, a former Taliban prisoner of war, were referred for trial by general court-martial, according to Reuters. 

Bergdahl was charged with desertion and endangering troops, and could face up to life in prison if convicted. 

{mosads}The referral means that Bergdahl will face a trial, versus administrative or some other form of lesser punishment. 

Bergdahl had walked off his post in Afghanistan in 2009, and was subsequently captured by the Taliban. 

In a recent interview featured on NPR’s “Serial” podcast, Bergdahl claimed that he left only to trigger an alarm, which would win him an audience with senior officials. 

He said he wanted to alert them to problems within his unit that were endangering troops. 

He spent five years in captivity before the Obama administration swapped him for five senior Taliban commanders being held at Guantanamo Bay. 

A recent House Armed Services Committee investigation found that the administration violated a law requiring that members of Congress be given 30 days advance notice before any detainee transfer from the Guantanamo detention facility. The administration informed lawmakers just hours before the swap.