Department of Defense: 2009 Bowe Bergdahl review is classified

A DOD spokesperson said he would not detail the conclusions the Army reached. | Getty

Close

The Army conducted an investigation into Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s disappearance after his disappearance in 2009, but it remains classified to this day, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

Defense Department spokesman Col. Steve Warren said he would not detail the conclusions the Army reached in its first look into what became of Bergdahl, who was returned to American special operators over the weekend after five years as a Taliban prisoner.

Continue Reading

Warren said the Pentagon has no plans to release the secret Bergdahl investigation and reporters would have to try to get it under the Freedom of Information Act.

(Also on POLITICO: Carney: Bergdahl deal separate from desertion question)

“I’ll be standing by for your FOIA requests,” he said.

Army Secretary John McHugh said Tuesday that the Army will begin a new look at Bergdahl’s situation once he is psychologically and medically able to participate.

“The Army will then review this in a comprehensive, coordinated effort that will include speaking with Sgt. Bergdahl to better learn from him the circumstances of his disappearance and captivity,” McHugh said. “All other decisions will be made thereafter, and in accordance with appropriate regulations, policies and practices.”

Warren said he would not comment on reports that Bergdahl told his fellow soldiers he was leaving his unit or made clear in other ways that he was deliberately walking away — as compared to subsequent claims that he’d lagged behind a foot patrol.

(Also on POLITICO: GOP seeks Taliban declassification)

Bergdahl remains under medical and psychiatric care at a military hospital in Germany, Warren said, as part of a slow process of reintegration that could take weeks or months.

He still has not spoken with his parents, Warren said, but officials declined to provide many more details about the man whose exchange for five top Taliban commanders has made him a political lightning rod for politicians in Washington and other Afghanistan veterans.

Warren said he did not know whether Bergdahl realizes he has become a subject of controversy in the United States, though access to news reports and the Internet are, or will, become a part of his adjustment process.

Some Afghanistan vets and family members of fallen soldiers want Bergdahl to be punished for desertion, arguing he deliberately walked away from his unit in 2009 before he fell into the hands of the Taliban — and recklessly endangered those who went looking for him.

(Also on POLITICO: Slain soldier parents: Bergdahl 'deserter')

The mother of one soldier said to have died in the subsequent search for Bergdahl told Army Times that his return stirred “very raw emotions.”

“This guy was worth my son’s life?” asked Sondra Andrews, mother of fallen Army 2nd Lt. Darryn Andrews.

Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey said on Tuesday there will be plenty of time for the Army to determine the circumstances of Bergdahl’s disappearance, but that he remains “innocent until proven guilty.”

Dempsey also made clear, however, that Bergdahl is back under Army jurisdiction. He will not automatically be promoted this month, having been advanced twice during his time in captivity, and he’ll be subject to discipline or punishment if commanders think that’s in order.

“Our Army’s leaders will not look away from misconduct if it occurred,” Dempsey said. “In the meantime, we will continue to care for him and his family.”

Warren said he did not know whether Bergdahl has been advised of his Miranda rights, whether he has an attorney or whether the things he says at this point in his debriefing could be used against him in a potential court-martial.

Warren told reporters clamoring for details about potential disciplinary actions that they were way head of the daily reality for Bergdahl, who is still adjusting after years of trauma and privation.

“Part of the reintegration process is to get the returnee in control of his emotions, in control of his feelings and able to tell his story,” he said.

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/06/bowe-bergdahl-pentagon-army-investigation-2009-disappearance-classified-107376.html?hp=l9