New Canadian commander at Kandahar/More US troops to be under his command?

Interesting development, see speculation about the US unit at the end:

The incoming commander of Canadian Forces in Afghanistan is preparing to change the focus of counter-insurgency efforts as he deals with the possibility NATO will once again enlarge the area under Canadian control.

Brig.-Gen. Daniel Menard said Thursday he plans to increase troop levels in the province's dangerous capital, [emphasis added, more here] marking a shift from existing strategy concerned largely with rural areas southwest of the city.

"We will be putting a lot of emphasis on Kandahar city," Menard said. "Kandahar city, for me, remains centre of gravity. It is certainly key terrain and it needs to be taken care of."

Menard's efforts in Kandahar city are expected to be bolstered by further additions of U.S. troops, who are likely to fall under Canadian command.

The NATO general in charge of southern Afghanistan, Nick Carter, is slated to issue orders by Monday that could significantly change the territory and resources under Menard's control [British Major General Carter took command of ISAF RC South on Nov. 1 for a year; the next commander will certainly be American, and I would expect the US to keep the command].

According to Menard, up to four more U.S. units could come under Canadian command [emphasis added, see below, perhaps all or part of the brigade combat team mentioned].

"This is critical for me in order to move forward," he said. "Number of troops does make a difference."

Menard took over Thursday as commander of Task Force Kandahar from Brig.-Gen. Jonathan Vance, whose so-called "model-village approach" had won praise from Canada's NATO allies.

Current Task Force Kandahar (TFK) Commander, Brigadier General Jonathan Vance, greets the incoming TFK Commander, Brigadier General Daniel Ménard, upon his arrival at the Kandahar Airfield, 15 November 2009. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout photo/ Master Corporal Angela Abbey, Canadian Forces Combat Camera

"There is much that others can learn from what the Canadian Task Force [composition here, already includes one US Army infantry battalion along with one Canadian--and a US Army MP battalion may also be under Canadian command] has achieved in the last nine months," Carter said at the transfer of command ceremony.

"Canada had provided a model of how modern counter-insurgency should be prosecuted."

Under Vance, Canada's area of responsibility shrunk by more than half last summer with a surge in U.S. troops [see this post].

He took the opportunity to concentrate Canadian efforts in a series of villages in Dand district [more here], which saw a drop in insurgent activity during his tenure.

But Menard acknowledged the possibility that ISAF headquarters could once again enlarge Canada's area of operation.

"I am expecting some orders over the next two days," he said.

As far as I know no "further additions of U.S. troops" are planned for Kandahar province in the near future; though President Obama may decide to send a fair number, it will be some time before they arrive. I could well be wrong, but it seems unlikely to me that the US Army's combat unit at the province, the 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, would be put under Brig.-General Ménard.

But maybe the training/mentoring 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne , now in the province could be put under Canadian command (the BCT is "Task Force Fury", more here, here, and here--the Illinois National Guard 33rd BCT, mentioned at the first link after the parenthesis, has left Afstan and I have not discovered if it's been replaced--maybe by the MPs for Kandahar City?). Just speculating about the 4th BCT. But, seeing as the very mobile Stryker BCT is covering Kandahar City in a broad arc from from west to north to south/southeast outside the city, the 4th BCT would seem appropriate for the city itself and immediate environs.