From CBC.ca
Quote:
Canada's top commander in Afghanistan, Brig. Gen. Daniel Ménard, has been relieved of his duties following allegations that he was involved in an inappropriate personal relationship.
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From CBC.ca
Quote:
Canada's top commander in Afghanistan, Brig. Gen. Daniel Ménard, has been relieved of his duties following allegations that he was involved in an inappropriate personal relationship.
Ugg...never a good thing.
BGen Vance, returning as Comd TFK, is an excellent decision. He is the General who was RIP'd out by BGen Menard. He has a keen understanding of both the area and what needs to be done and will provide a steady, experienced hand for fighting season.
Agreed; and doubly so given what the coming year will be like :(. Personally, I am not looking forward to the inquiry that will be coming either...Quote:
Originally Posted by Infanteer
This caught my attention...
Quote:
Earlier this week, Ménard was fined $3,500 — the stiffest fine ever levied on a soldier for mishandling a weapon... The March 25 incident occurred as Ménard and his boss, chief of defence staff Gen. Walt Natynczyk, were about to board a Blackhawk helicopter at Kandahar Airfield. Ménard said he was loading his C8 carbine, something he has done thousands of times, when it discharged.
Wow.
I've been hearing all sorts of strange innuendos - nothing solid that I could evaluate, though.
It appears as if Michael Yon is counting coup on this one.
This is unfortunate. You never like to see someone you know get sucked under by something like this.
The Canadians have been taking a lot of heat, largely behind their backs, for "allowing" Kandahar to degrade to its current security state on their watch. This is an assessment, that while accurate, I've always seen as grossly simplistic and unfair. I suspect these other charges are being accentuated to justify changes that have more to do with trying to change the course of operations. Greater Kandahar is a big place, and TF K was very much an economy of force effort sitting astride the main effort objective. So my one input to this is that we should cut our Canadian brothers a little slack. The proverbial bus has left the station, with Brigadier Menard under it.
I’m not well informed here Bob’s World, but is this starting to smell like the Canadian equivalent to the Brit experience in Basra?Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob's World
I really didn't follow what happened in Basra, and wasn't there. I also have no reason to believe everything with Brig. Menard is not on the up and up; its just taking place within a complex situation is all.
Not quite.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kiwigrunt
http://www.understandingwar.org/repo...paign-kandahar
This spells it out quite well. While the surge and Iraq were going on, we moved to Kandahar but were never able to send the amount of troops to hold such a place - where we had Companies and even Platoons at times are now being taken by US Brigades. Result was alot of "mowing the grass" and a bloody stalemate.
On another note, Michael Yon seems to be relishing in this and is banging the drum about taking down General McCrystal. This guy is really a piece of work to be delighting in the misery of others.
Maybe. Yon is trying to make money by writing about war zones. IMO, his websites basically asks you to donate to his wages. He's in the entertainment business, not the information and analysis business.Quote:
Originally Posted by Infanteer
I would be amazed if anything Yon writes influences actual policy makers and operators.
This from the Canadian Forces:
Some MSM coverage here, here and here.Quote:
Commander Canadian Expeditionary Force Command (CEFCOM), Lieutenant-General Marc Lessard announced today that he has relieved Brigadier-General Daniel Menard from his position as Commander Joint-Task Force Afghanistan (JTF-Afg) and has designated Colonel Simon Hetherington as Acting Commander in the interim.
LGen Lessard made this decision following allegations concerning BGen Menard’s inappropriate conduct related to the Canadian Forces Personal Relationships and Fraternization directives, which caused Commander CEFCOM to lose confidence in BGen Menard’s capacity to command.
An investigation into the circumstances related to the allegations is being launched.
In the near future, the Canadian Forces will dispatch former JTF-Afg Commander, Brigadier-General Jon Vance to Afghanistan to assume command, pending the arrival of the next JTF-Afg Commander, Brigadier-General Dean Milner.
I know what public meaning "personal relationship" can take on via MSM in these sorts of things, so to add a touch of context, here's what ELSE is not on under the rules in question:
Quote:
.... A CF member in a personal relationship with another CF member, DND employee or member of an allied force, contractor or an employee of a contractor shall not be involved, regardless of rank or authority, in the other person's:
* performance assessment or reporting, including training evaluations and audits;
* posting, transfer or attached posting;
* individual training or education;
* duties or scheduling for duties;
* documents or records;
* grievance process; or
* release proceedings.
Here is how CBC is playing it right nowQuote:
Originally Posted by milnews.ca
Quote:
Military sources have told CBC News that Ménard, head of Joint Task Force Kandahar, is alleged to have had an affair with a female member of his staff.
I don't know about that one, I think I had heard it before, but he certainly seems to be trying to take credit for it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Infanteer
As well as Menard's being relieved, he wrote about he takes credit for it on his blog.
Seems he can do no wrong, I seriously question this guys recent work, sounds like Al Gore inventing the Internet!
Cheers,
Jim
Michael posted this on his Facebook page 14 hours ago
I don't think he is sounding like Al Gore yet, though, Jim - he's nowhere near as pompous!Quote:
For the record, before some writers inevitably start blaming me for Brigadier General Daniel Menard's firing, I accept full responsibilty. I accept as much blame as can be heaped upon me.
Deleted
Not pompous but certainly arrogant and vindictive...his vendetta against BGEN Menard dates from the IED attack on the Tarnak Bridge near KAH a few months back where he accused pretty well every senior officer there of negligence and incompetence for failing to secure the bridge against all attacks. Yon is very good at throwing crap but neither in his attacks on BGEN Menard nor on GEN McCrystal has he ever offered any constructive alternatives to the current strategy.Quote:
Originally Posted by marct
Yon whines about being disembedded - all part of the global conspiracy against him - and simply comes across as too dumd and/or self-centred to grasp that crapping on the senior command in ISAF, rightly or wrongly, was hardly likely to extend his welcome in theatre.
I think that the Canadians are capable enough that the outcome with BGEN Menard would have occurred within Yon's 'assistance', more so when the negligent discharge in question occurred within feet of the Canadian Chief of Defence Staff - I'm surprised Yon hasn't got round to accusing him of covering it all up as well...
From CBC.ca
Quote:
Brig.-Gen. Daniel Ménard, who is under investigation for allegedly having an inappropriate relationship with a female subordinate, has been appointed to head what the department has designated as the Military Personnel Management Capability Transformation Project.
More...
How dare the CND not obey Micheal Yawn and dismiss BGEN Menard from the service before having him hung, drawn and quartered...don't they understand that Mike Yawn knows everything including the secret to success in AFG (easy, just dismiss all the generals he doesn't like and everything will magically sort itself out) and probably the location of the lost Ark of the Covenant and Elvis' new address...
Personally I think that it is high time, Yawn has his freedom of speech rights tested in court as every time he opens his yap about the campaign in AFG he does more damage than the Taliban...it's one thing trying to keep up in the strategic communication arena without having to also deal with one of your own gone rabid...
I hope that BGEN Menard does well in his new job and rises above his indiscretion in the field in his last appointment...