New commander for Joint Task Force Afghanistan

By Captain Yves Desbiens

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD - On 19 November 2009, Lieutenant-General Marc Lessard, commander of Canadian Expeditionary Force Command, presided over the ceremony in which Brigadier-General Jonathan Vance handed over the command of Joint Task Force Afghanistan to BGen Daniel Ménard.

The change of command parade was attended by key Afghan and coalition force leaders, as well as the senior staff of Task Force Kandahar, the Canadian-led task force operating in Kandahar Province as part of the International Security Assistance Force.

“I intend to follow in the footsteps of previous commanders and move the yardsticks as far forward as possible over the next ten and a half months,” said BGen Ménard. “Our integrated military-civilian team gives us the breadth and depth of knowledge needed to help Afghans rebuild their country as a stable, democratic and self-sufficient society.”

This ceremony marked the end of a nine-month command tour for BGen Vance. “I am very grateful for having had this opportunity to serve both Canada and Afghanistan as a member of a strong and dedicated allied team, partnered with our Afghan brothers,” he said in his address after the formal transfer of command authority. “I am convinced that we are poised for great progress in the coming year.”

Joint Task Force Afghanistan includes all 2,830 Canadian Forces members deployed in southwest Asia on Operation ATHENA and Operation ARCHER. Its primary units — the 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry Battle Group, the Operational Mentor and Liaison Team and the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team — are the backbone of Task Force Kandahar, which also includes about 700 soldiers from the 1st Battalion of the 12th Infantry Regiment (“1–12 Infantry”) of the United States Army. Members of Task Force Kandahar work alongside their Afghan partners, and are committed to bringing peace, stability and good governance to Afghanistan.