Daniel Ménard
| Daniel Ménard | |
|---|---|
| Allegiance |
 Canada |
| Service/branch | Canadian Army |
Daniel Ménard is a Canadian citizen and former General in the Canadian Armed Forces.[1][2][3]
Ménard had commanded the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan in 2009 through 2010.[4][5] Two different allegations triggered his replacement and demotion. He was court-martialed for what was described as the reckless discharge of a weapon, while safely back on base. He was also alleged to have engaged in a sexual relationship with a subordinate.
Ménard resigned from the armed forces.[6] After his resignation he took a job with GardaWorld, a private security firm. GardaWorld assigned him to direct its private security operations in Afghanistan. News of his arrest by Afghan authorities became public on January 29, 2014, when he first appeared in an Afghan court.[3] He had been arrested on January 12, 2014, following a visit to an Afghan Ministry.
Accounts differ as to the nature of his arrest. Some sources assert he was arrested on weapons charges.[2] Other sources assert Afghan authorities arrested him because his firm did not have, or no longer had, official authorization to perform security operations in Afghanistan.[3] GardaWorld has claimed his arrest is all due to a simple misunderstanding.[1]
References
- 1 2 Allan Woods (2014-01-30). "Former Canadian brigadier-general Daniel Menard in Afghan jail". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 2014-01-30.
The former head of Canadian forces in the country, who now works for private security firm GardaWorld, was detained on or about Jan. 12. He was picked up by local authorities after leaving a meeting with Afghan government officials to discuss issues related to the development of Afghan security forces, Joe Gavaghan, a spokesman for the company, said in an interview Wednesday.
- 1 2 Jeremy Kelly (2014-01-30). "Former Canadian brigadier-general Daniel Menard in Afghan jail on gun smuggling charges". Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 2014-01-30. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
The Ministry of Interior has accused the former brigadier-general of being in possession of 129 rifles and 148 radios, all of which they say he was not licensed to hold. He had been working as the Afghanistan country manager for Garda World, a global private security company that provides services across parts of Afghanistan.
- 1 2 3 "Ex-commander of Canadian forces jailed in Afghanistan". PressTV. 2014-01-30. Archived from the original on 2014-01-30.
But now reports suggest that Menard has been held in a jail in Kabul for nearly three weeks over an administrative issue concerning his firm’s license to operate in Afghanistan as a private security firm.
- ↑ D.B. Grady (2010-06-01). "Michael Yon's War". The Atlantic magazine. Archived from the original on 2010-06-03. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
In the case of the Tarnak River Bridge, the name most repeatedly mentioned as responsible for its security was Daniel Menard, the Canadian brigadier general in charge of Task Force Kandahar. Yon went public with this information.
- ↑ Barbara Honegger (2009-10-07). "NPS Experts Brief Canada's New Afghanistan Commander on Winning Counterinsurgency Wars". Navy Postgraduate School. Archived from the original on 2014-01-30. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
Canadian Brig. Gen. Daniel Menard and a dozen top officers from his Joint Task Force-Afghanistan took time out of their pressing schedules preparing to take charge of NATO operations at the center of gravity for the Pashtun insurgency to attend the Conference on Culture and Counterinsurgency in Southern Afghanistan hosted by the NPS Program for Culture and Conflict Studies (CCS).
- ↑ "Ex-Canadian Forces commander Menard loses rank". CBC News. 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
Lawyers for Menard and the military jointly recommended a reduction in rank to colonel, which is symbolic as he is retired, and a fine of $7,000. On Thursday afternoon, a judge agreed to those penalties.