On Friday, a military judge ruled Bowe Bergdahl, who deserted his outpost in Afghanistan in 2009 and was subsequently held captive by the Taliban for five years, will be dishonorably discharged from the U.S. Army. His rank will be dropped from sergeant to private, and he will have to pay a $1,000 fine from his salary for the next 10 months. He will receive no jail time.
The Cipher Brief spoke with Lt. Gen. Guy Swan, former Commander of U.S. Army North, Doug Wise, former Deputy Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, and Mark Kelton, former Deputy Director for Counterintelligence at the CIA’s National Clandestine Service about their reactions to the ruling.
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