WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is expected to be briefed as early as Friday on an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the capture of Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl by Taliban militants in Afghanistan, the Pentagon said.
Pentagon spokesman Admiral John Kirby said it would be up to the Army to decide on the timing of the release of details of the investigation and any steps to be taken.
"It is an Army investigation, and it is Army's decision to determine what, if anything, they will do," Kirby told a regular news briefing.
Bergdahl was released in May in a prisoner swap after five years in captivity.
Some of his fellow soldiers in Afghanistan have said that Bergdahl was captured by the Taliban after he deserted his post.
The administration of President Barack Obama was initially praised for securing his release, but there was a backlash from critics on Capitol Hill who charged that the White House had failed to give Congress adequate notice before freeing prisoners from at the U.S. military's detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The Pentagon appointed Major General Kenneth Dahl to investigate the case, to determine whether Bergdahl had broken military rules and to recommend any appropriate punishment.
In November, the Pentagon said That Dahl had submitted an initial report to the military chain of command for review. It also rejected news reports suggesting that results of the investigation were being delayed until after the November mid-term elections.
(Reporting by David Brunnstrom, editing by G Crosse)