Reuters reports that “U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, who spent five years as a Taliban prisoner after walking away from his combat outpost in Afghanistan in 2009, did not enter a plea on Tuesday at his arraignment on charges spurred by his disappearance.”  

“Bergdahl, 29, was ordered last week to face a court-martial after being charged earlier this year with desertion and endangering U.S. troops. The latter offense carries a life sentence if he is convicted.”  

“A military judge on Tuesday granted Bergdahl permission to defer his plea and a decision on whether a military jury or a judge alone will hear his case.”