At the Pentagon, military spokesperson John Kirby said Bowe Bergdahl continues to improve but remains mentally unprepared to return home after years in captivity.

Rear Admiral John Kirby: “We’re told that his health continues to improve and that he is engaging with hospital staff more and more each day. All of that is promising, and the secretary is certainly relieved to hear it. But this is going to be a long process, and nobody is going to push it any further or any faster than Sergeant Bergdahl and his caregivers are willing to take it. This soldier was held captive for nearly five years in what we must assume were harsh conditions. He is going to need — he’s going to need time to re-assimilate, time to heal mentally and physically. The secretary has made it clear that our first priority is giving him and his family that critical time and space.”

Bergdahl told officials last week Taliban captors tortured him and kept him in a cage after he tried to escape.