Pretty Pathetic Professionalism

That's quite the statement of resourceful engagement and dependable authority that the almost three-thousand-strong Canadian military troops in Afghanistan have to support their presence in a perpetual war zone. A commanding officer whose clumsy handling of an automatic firearm resulted in two discharges in a vulnerable area on a military landing strip, in the presence of his superior officer.

A commanding officer who agreed that the incident warranted a court martial, and when found guilty of less than professional care in his handling of said firearm was fined $3,500 as a course lesson in equality within the military; if it is good enough for Brig.-Gen. Daniel Menard to discipline any of the men under his command for sloppy handling of firearms, and fine them appropriately, the same could be said for him, it naturally follows.

In the Canadian military some behaviours are simply not countenanced from the country's professional soldiers. Among them, when in an active theatre of war, sexual engagement is forbidden. Not only among members of the military who are unattached, but also when a husband and wife are serving together, intimacies are suspended; their attention must at all times be to the matter at hand, their dedicated comportment as military personnel.

This is a well understood and followed tradition, to ensure that eyes are on the ball, to ensure that commanding officers do not take advantage of their position with respect to subordinates, to ensure that everyone knows the score, and it pertains to everyone, without exception. And, in all likelihood, just about everyone, without exception, was shocked to learn that their commanding officer was removed from active duty in Kandahar Province.

Brig.-Gen. Daniel Menard, a married man with a family, one of the military's rising young stars, having attained an elite executive position at age 41, failed signally in his commitment as commanding officer by having an affair with a female soldier under his command. His judgement has been called into question. And if the sound judgement and moral accountability of the commanding officer is not in place, then he should not be in that place.

He is being replaced, by the former commanding officer for Task Force Kandahar, who will be arriving on the base within the week. Given the fact that Canadian troops will be facing a large-scale combined NATO assault within a few weeks, the changeover in command at this critical juncture is no slight matter.

It represents, however, a principled decision that Lt.-Gen. Marc Lessard, was forced to make in his role as commander of all Canadian overseas troops, following information divulged that Brig.-Gen. Menard has been engaged in conduct unbecoming an officer.

Pity, that.