U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl appeared in court Tuesday to face a military judge for deserting his post in Afghanistan back in 2009. He could face life in prison if found guilty for his disappearance.

According to officials, Bergdahl deserted his platoon on June 30, 2009, and was quickly captured by the Taliban. The 29-year-old soldier was then held captive for five years, until he was finally released on May 31, 2014, in exchange for five Taliban prisoners being held by the U.S. at Guantanamo Bay.

A preliminary Army investigation also found that Bergdahl left his outpost deliberately of his own free will, according to an official briefed on the report, CNN reported.

Now he faces court-martial. Bergdahl was arraigned during a brief hearing on charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, reports The Associated Press. However, he did not enter a plea or decide whether he wants to face a court-martial with a jury or one with just a judge.

He is scheduled to reappear in court for another pretrial hearing on Jan. 12, when Army Judge Col. Jeffery R. Nance will preside.

Over the past several months, Bergdahl has been speaking extensively about what happened in recorded interviews with Sarah Koenig, which have been published on her podcast "Serial."

In the first episode of "Serial," Bergdahl admitted that he walked off his base to cause a crisis that would catch the attention of military leaders. He also said that his intent was to warn them about serious problems with leadership in his unit, while proving that he could be a real-life action hero.

"I was trying to prove to myself, I was trying to prove to the world, to anybody who used to know me ... I was capable of being what I appeared to be," Bergdahl said. "Doing what I did was me saying I am like Jason Bourne. I had this fantastic idea that I was going to prove to the world I was the real thing."