Daniel Ménard is a Canadian executive and former Canadian brigadier-general and NATO commander.[1]
Daniel Menard | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 25, 1965 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Nationality |  Canada |
| Other names | Dan |
| Citizenship | Canada |
| Occupation | Executive |
| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 2 |
Early Life
editEducation
editDaniel Menard worked on his higher education during his time in the military, earning his undergraduate degree in Military and International studies at the Canadian Forces College.[2] He would later earn his masters in International Management from the University of Quebec.[2]
Military
editAccording to his military biography, Mr. Ménard joined the Canadian Forces in 1984 and was initially posted to 3rd Battalion, Royal 22e Regiment as a platoon commander.[1] Mr. Menard had served in Bosnia and Haiti, before being deployed to Afghanistan in November 2009 as commander of Joint Task Force Afghanistan and Task Force Kandahar.[1]
Controversy
editTarnak River Bridge Bombing
editOn March 1, 2010, a car bomb was set off on Tarnak River Bridge, near Kandahar, killing multiple civilians and one American soldier.[3] War Correspondent Michael Yon blamed the Canadian forces, and Brigadier General Daniel Menard for negligence.[3]
The military's response was to explain that many organizations are responsible for the bridge, with one officer describing it as "a messy gray area that has changed hands a few times"[3]. In reality, the bridge's connection to the Canadian military and Mr. Menard is lacking, seeing as the organization responsible for the bridge's security was the ANP (Afghan National Police), who were mentored by American 97th MPs, who were under Canadian command.[4]
Accidental Discharge of a Rifle
editOn March 25, 2010, Mr. Menard's assault rifle went off as he was boarding a Blackhawk helicopter in a Karachi airfield, firing 2 bullets into the ground.[1][5] It was undetermined whether his gun malfunctioned, but an accidental discharge of a weapon means an automatic court-martial.[5] After opening an investigation on himself, Mr. Menard was found guilty of accidentally firing a rifle in late May 2010, and was fined for $3,500.[5][6]
Affair Scandal
editIn early June 2010, only days following his conviction, Mr. Menard was stripped of his command of Task Force Kandahar by Lt. General Marc Lessard, commander of Canada's military abroad, once allegations surfaced of an inappropriate sexual relationship between Menard and a Master Corporal, Bianka Langlois, under his command. [6][7] Col. Simon Hetherington, the deputy commander of Joint Task Force Afghanistan, stated that Lessard had lost confidence in Menard's ability to command after assessing the allegations., and chose to immediately remove him from his deployment, making him the first Canadian General Officer to be removed from the battlefield since the Second World War.[6]
According to court documents, the affair began in 2008, and the two had a sexual relationship between Nov. 15, 2009, and April 27, 2010, court documents also suggest that Menard repeated? asked Langlois to delete emails between them once news of their affair became public.[8] Military rules prohibit soldiers from engaging in sexual relationships while they are deployed, even if they are married.[8]
The remainder of Menard's tenure as Commander of the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan, which extends to the fall of 2010, will be completed by Brig. General Jon Vance, who had held the post previously. [6][9]
After his tenure as Commander of the Canadian Armed Forces in Afghanistan, Menard was to return to Canada to assume command of the Land Forces in Quebec, instead he was relegated to a desk job in Ottawa, and was forbidden to attend a training course for generals in Toronto.[1] Reportedly feeling ostracized, he tendered his resignation in November and left the military in December.[1][8]
Daniel Menard was convicted after his departure from the military, getting a $7,000 fine, and a symbolic demotion to Colonel, symbolic because Menard retains the rank he retired the military with.[8] Langlois had been convicted in September 2010, and had gotten a $700 fine.
GardaWorld
editNearly a year later, in November 2011, Daniel Menard was hired by GardaWorld to oversee one of their business units in Afghanistan.[1][2]
Over the course of the following year, Mr. Menard would grow that business from $19 million to $50 million, contributing to his promotion to run Managing Director for GardaWorld's operations in North Africa and the Middle East in May, 2014.[2][10] A little over a year later, in September 2015, he would later become Senior Vice-President of Operations at GardaWorld.[10]
Incident
editIn January 10, 2014, Kabul police arrested Daniel as he was exiting an Afghan ministry, following a meeting with Afghan officials.[1] The arrest centered around accusations of possessing military equipment without permission, including 129 rifles and 148 radios.[11] Police Chief General Mohammad Zahir Zahir announced that Mr. Menard was being tried for arms smuggling, but according to GardaWorld spokesman, Joe Gavaghan, this is a simple technicality related to an "administrative misunderstanding" regarding GardaWorld's operating licences.[1]
Daniel Menard was held in jail for several weeks before his release in a situation that Canadian security consultant Alan Bell said "has happened so many times with so many companies. It isn't rare".[11]
Canada
editRobert
editAfter spending nearly 6 years at Dubai, working for GardaWorld, Menard quit in early 2017 to assume the position of Chief Operations Officer (COO) in Quebec-based supply-chain, Groupe Robert.[12][13]
Octasic
editMenard also served as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Octasic – a technology company with a security focus based in Montreal.
Voti Detection
editDaniel's most recent job is as COO of Voti Detection, a company headquartered in Montreal which specializes in 3D X-ray security scanning.[10]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Canada's former top soldier in Afghanistan Daniel Ménard now locked in Kabul jail over alleged gun smuggling". nationalpost. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
- ^ a b c d "Daniel Menard - Senior Executive". ideamensch.com. 2021-08-09. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
- ^ a b c Brown, David W. (2010-06-01). "Michael Yon's War". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
- ^ Yon, Michael (2010-03-11). "The Bridge". Michael Yon. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
- ^ a b c "Brig.-Gen. Daniel Menard rifle discharge probed". thestar.com. 2010-04-18. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
- ^ a b c d "Allegations 'mortal blow' to Menard's career: Drapeau". CTVNews. 2010-05-30. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
- ^ "Charges laid against Brigadier-General Daniel Ménard, Canada's top military officer in Afghanistan". nationalpost. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
- ^ a b c d "Menard fined, busted down a rank for Afghan sex affair". CTVNews. 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
- ^ "Military: Canadian commander in Afghanistan relieved after 'inappropriate relationship'". Associated Press. 2015-03-27. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
- ^ a b c Menard, Daniel. "Linkedin, Daniel Menard".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "Daniel Ménard, ex-Canadian general jailed in Afghanistan, to be released". ca.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
- ^ User, Super. "Groupe Robert - Transport, Distribution, Logistic, 3PL - Canada & U.S. - Your Supply Chain Partner". Groupe Robert. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "Daniel Menard - Executive Bio, Work History, and Contacts - Equilar ExecAtlas". people.equilar.com. Retrieved 2023-01-04.