Daniel Ménard

Daniel Ménard (born 1965/1966) is a Canadian executive and former Canadian Army brigadier general and NATO commander during the War in Afghanistan. At the time of his promotion, he was one of the youngest general officers in the Canadian Armed Forces. In 2010, he was dismissed from command of Task Force Kandahar in Afghanistan following an affair with a subordinate, and subsequently retired from the military. He has since worked as an executive at several Quebec-based companies.

Early life Daniel Ménard studied military and international studies at the Canadian Forces College while enlisted. He earned his masters in International Management from the University of Quebec. Ménard served in the United Kingdom, Germany, Haiti, and Bosnia.

From September 2008 to July 2009, he was a colonel in command of the 5th Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group. He was promoted to brigadier general later that year at the age of 43, making him one of the youngest general officers in the Canadian Armed Forces at the time. He was the sixth Canadian and second French Canadian commander of Task Force Afghanistan since Canadian troops were deployed to Afghanistan in 2006.

By December 3, that had increased to 2000 American troops. At that time, he announced that a unit from the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division of the United States Army would be seconded to Canadian command in Kandahar to assist with stabilizing the city. On December 18, The Montreal Gazette reported that three American units had been seconded to Ménard's command, bringing his brigade to a total of 5,800 troops. On January 29, it was announced that a squadron from the US Army's 71st Cavalry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, would be joining Ménard's so-called "super brigade".

On March 1, 2010, a car bomb was set off on the Tarnak River Bridge near the city of Kandahar, killing multiple civilians and one American soldier. American war correspondent Michael Yon blamed the Canadian forces for failing to secure the bridge, specifically singling out Ménard for negligence. At the time, he was loading the gun and had neglected to switch on the safety.

Affair with subordinate

In late May 2010, shortly after his accidental discharge conviction, Ménard was accused of having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a subordinate, Master Corporal Bianka Langlois. The relationship began in Canada in 2008 and continued after they were deployed to Afghanistan, where it was reportedly an open secret among personnel in Kandahar. After Yon blogged about the affair in early 2010, military officials began an internal investigation, as Canadian military regulations forbid sexual relationships during active deployments. According to court documents, he "lied twice about the affair when confronted".

Ménard was charged on July 12, 2010, with four counts: three from the National Defence Act relating to the inappropriate conduct and obstruction of justice, and one from the Criminal Code of Canada relating to obstruction of justice. He resigned from the military effective December 2010. On July 21, 2011, he pled guilty to two counts relating to inappropriate conduct; the obstruction charges were dropped.

Private sector

GardaWorld Security company GardaWorld hired Ménard in November 2011 as their managing director for Afghanistan, working out of Afghanistan and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Canada's Department of National Defence paid $40,000 for him to relocate from the Montreal area to the United Arab Emirates to take up the job, under a policy which allows retired members with at least 20 years of service to claim the cost of one post-retirement move.

On January 10, 2014, Ménard was arrested in Kabul following a meeting with Afghan officials. He was accused of possessing military equipment – 129 rifles and 148 radios – without a license. Ménard was kept in a holding facility until he was released without charges on February 19.

Subsequent positions After spending nearly 6 years with GardaWorld, Ménard resigned in early 2017 to assume the position of chief operations officer with Quebec-based supply chain, Groupe Robert. Ménard later served as the chief executive officer of Montreal-based security technology company Octasic.

Personal life Ménard is married with two children. His wife was a major in the Canadian Armed Forces.