Multinational Force and Observers

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The Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) is an international peacekeeping force.

History

In 1979, following the signing of the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty, the United Nations decided not to continue with a peacekeeping mandate on the Sinai Peninsula. The terms of the treaty required the presence of international peacekeepers to ensure that both Israel and Egypt kept to the provisions regarding military build-up along the border. Initially, the peacekeeping force was provided by the US Sinai Field Mission, while efforts were made to persuade the UN to change its mind. When it became clear that this would not happen, Egypt, Israel and the United States opened negotiations to set up a peacekeeping organisation outside the framework of the UN. On August 3 1981, the Protocol to the Treaty of Peace was signed, establishing the Multinational Force and Observers.

January 1982.

Approximately 160 soldiers from Fort Bragg, North Carolina were deployed to the Sinai. The mission of this augmented company size unit was to establish support facilities in preparation for the upcoming arrival of the infantry batallions to monitor the peace. This was not your typical logistical company. Initally those who deployed were required to wear civilian clothing, due to the security threat. They arrived in the middle of the night and were bussed to Etam, Air Base, Israel. This Air Base would later be renamed El Gorah after the April 25, 1982 transfer of the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt. These soldiers were to prepare to assume the mission of the Sinai Field Mission. The goal was to establish a command structure, fixed and rotary aircraft support, parts support, water and petrollium supply, medical, logistics for the Multinational Force which would later assume the mission.

Upon arrival they were initially housed in several buildings which were in existance as part of Etam Airbase. It several months before perminate buildings were in place.

The MFO assumed its mandate on April 25 1982, the day that Israel handed over sovereignty of the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt. In 1995 the United States experimented with a composite battalion consisting of National Guard soldiers from Virginia and Maryland, and Regular Army soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division and the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). Since January 2002, the United States has been supplying National Guard Infantry battalions exclusively.

August 1994

Australia has a long and mostly unblemished involvement with the MFO, however in August 1994 an MFO vehicle being driven by a senior member of the Australian contingent and containing a number of more junior members of the Australian contingent, struck a woman as she stepped into the path of their vehicle, as they drove through Cairo en route to El Alamein to conduct a reconnaissance for anniversary celebrations for the Battle of El Alamein. The Australian driver did not stop and subsequently ordered all of his subordinate passengers not to report the incident.

The incident remained unreported till April 1995 when one of the passengers, army Staff Sergeant David Hartshorn, reported it to Australian military authorities after returning to Australia. Numerous investigations then ensued with evidence eventually being included in an Australian Federal Senate inquiry titled 'Effectiveness of Australia's Military Justice System' (read submission number 52 titled 'Summary of Australian Army Hit and Run Cairo Egypt - August 1994' authored by David Hartshorn at the following link):

http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/fadt_ctte/miljustice/submissions/sublist.htm

Senate committees are obliged to offer a 'right of reply' to any person named adversely in an inquiry submission, therefore the Australian driver should have been provided with the evidence in submission 52, however no response from the driver has ever been published. See rules of right of reply in paragraph 8 at the following link:

http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/wit_sub/bro_one.htm

It is also worth noting that the Australian Defence Force did not provide any response to submission number 52 to publicly refute, or otherwise challenge, any of the evidence contained in that submission, despite ample time and opportunity to do so.

Oral evidence about the hit and run was also officially taken from David Hartshorn by a committee of Australian senators and is included in a government PDF document at the following link. When the PDF document fully downloads, Hartshorn's evidence commences from page 64:

http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/senate/commttee/S7493.pdf

Chapter 7 of the final report titled 'The Reporting of Wrongdoing in the Australian Defence Force', also makes mention of the incident on page 130 paragraph 7.32 at the following link:

http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/fadt_ctte/miljustice/report/c07.pdf

The evidence contained in these links enjoys Australian parliamentary privilege and was thoroughly verified by the Australian Government prior to being posted on their inquiry website.

The Force Commander of the MFO during the hit and run incident was an Australian, Major General David Ferguson, who served as the Force Commander during the period April 1994 until April 1997.

Organisation

The MFO has its main headquarters in Rome, where it is headed by the Director-General. It also has two regional offices, in Tel Aviv and Cairo, while the Force itself is based in Zone C on the Sinai Peninsula, under the command of the Force Commander. The Force Commander is responsible for the military elements of the MFO, which comprise:

• Headquarters
• Three infantry battalions
• Support battalion
• Coastal Patrol Unit
• Rotary Wing Aviation unit
• Transport unit
• Engineers unit
• Military Police Unit
• Flight Following (Air Traffic control) Unit

Nations Involved

The personnel for these come from a total of eleven* countries:

• Australia - 25 personnel based at Force HQ [1]
• Canada - 29 personnel based at Force HQ and Flight Following Unit
• Colombia - Infantry battalion - 358 personnel
• Fiji - Infantry battalion - 329 personnel
• France - 15 personnel based at Force HQ and with the fixed wing unit
• Hungary - Military Police unit (41 personnel)
• Italy - Coastal patrol unit (75 personnel, 3 ships)
• New Zealand - 27 personnel divided between support battalion and Training and Advisory Team
• Norway - 3 personnel based at Force HQ
• Uruguay - 87 personnel with Transport and Engineering Unit
• United States - The US is responsible for three contingents:
  • Force HQ - 27 personnel
  • Support Battalion - 235 personnel (Currently the 1st U.S. Army Support Battalion consisting of Headquarters, Aviation and Medical Companies and the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Detachment)
  • Infantry Battalion - 425 personnel

(*Netherlands- Until 1994, which were replaced by Hungary)

Location: The Sinai Peninsula

The Sinai Peninsula

Article 2 of Annex I of the Peace Treaty called for the Sinai Peninsula to be divided into zones. Within these zones, Egypt and Israel were permitted varying degrees of military build-up:

• Zone A: Between the Suez Canal and Line A. Egypt is permitted a mechanised infantry division with a total of 22,000 troops in Zone A.
• Zone B: Between Line A and Line B. Egypt is permitted four border security battalions to support the civilian police in Zone B.
• Zone C: Between Line B and the Egypt-Israel border. Only the MFO and the Egyptian civilian police are permitted within Zone C.
• Zone D: Between the Egypt-Israel border and Line D. Israel is permitted four infantry battalions in Zone D.

Within Zone C there are two main installations:

• North Camp is the location of Force HQ and is close to the town of el Gorah.
• South Camp is located between the towns of Sharm el Sheikh and Naama Bay.

In addition there are thirty smaller sites at various points within Zone C and at least one remote observation post (OP 3-11) located offland on a tiny island, requiring resupply by air.

See also

• Multinational Force and Observers Medal

External link

• MFO official site