total of 5,800 troops. On January 29th, 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. The Canadian military denied that it had full responsibility for the bridge and described it as being in "a messy gray area that has changed hands a few times". On March 25, 2010, Ménard accidentally fired his C8 carbine rifle as he was boarding a helicopter at Kandahar Air Field, discharging two bullets into the ground. At the time, he was loading the gun and had neglected to switch on the safety. He reported the incident and ordered an investigation, which confirmed an accidental discharge had occurred, triggering an automatic court-martial. He was found guilty of accidentally discharging his weapon in late May, and was fined $3,500. 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. Evidence of the affair was discovered in the pair's emails, and they were questioned. Langlois admitted the relationship to investigators, although Ménard pressured her to delete her emails and recant. According to court documents, he "lied twice about the affair when confronted". Lieutenant General Marc Lessard, commander of Canada's military abroad, stripped Ménard of his command of Task Force Kandahar on May 30. It was the first time since World War II that a Canadian general had been dismissed on the battlefield. Vance resumed command shortly after Ménard's removal. 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. Ménard was sent home to Canada and assigned