{{no footnotes , date=July 2020 The Sinai Field Mission (SFM) began operations in January 1976. SFM operations officially ceased in April 1982 when the

Multinational Force and Observers The Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) is an international peacekeeping force overseeing the terms of the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. The MFO generally operates in and around the Sinai peninsula, ensuring free navigation through ...

(MFO) came into existence. The SFM was composed of

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...

personnel primarily attached to the

U.S. Agency for International Development The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 ...

(USAID) and civilian contractors from the

Greenville, Texas Greenville is a city in Hunt County, Texas, United States, about northeast of Dallas. It is the county seat and largest city of Hunt County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 25,557, and in 2019, its estimated population was 28,827. ...

based aerospace company E-Systems, Inc., (ESY). There were approximately 160 personnel occupying the Base Camp located on the peak of Mt. Umm Kashieb on the

Sinai Peninsula The Sinai Peninsula, or simply Sinai (now usually ) (, , cop, Ⲥⲓⲛⲁ), is a peninsula in Egypt, and the only part of the country located in Asia. It is between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the south, and is a l ...

. Living quarters consisted of moderately sized concrete rooms (prefabricated Holiday Inn modules shipped from the U.S.) that were occupied by one to three personnel depending on their employment status.

History

Without third-party monitoring, regional conflicts are more likely to escalate. Cooperative monitoring, when incorporated into a regional security agreement, can help counter these pressures.

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

and

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

set a precedent for successful cooperative monitoring when they progressed from a state of war to peace within six years. The process occurred in several steps, and monitoring played a significant supporting role. In 1975, Israel made a key compromise to withdraw from the strategic Giddi Pass and

Mitla Pass The Mitla Pass ( ar, ممر متلة, he, מיתלה) is a pass snaking in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt, wedged between mountain ranges to the north and south. It is located about east of Suez. It is the monotonous ride through here and Nek ...

in the

in exchange for monitoring by third parties. The United States established the Sinai Field Mission to monitor access to the passes utilizing seismic, aural and infra-red sensors monitored from three watch stations. The U.S. military also performed reconnaissance flights. U.S. monitoring was coordinated with the activities of

UN peacekeepers Peacekeeping by the United Nations is a role held by the Department of Peace Operations as an "instrument developed by the organization as a way to help countries torn by conflict to create the conditions for lasting peace". It is distinguished ...

. After an initial period of suspicion, the parties came to accept monitoring as routine. The system successfully distinguished between significant and inconsequential sensor activations. All violations were relatively minor and resolved by a Joint Commission. Political leaders in both countries eventually praised the system. The increased confidence resulting from cooperative monitoring was a major contributor to the 1979 Egypt-Israel Peace Accord. Agreement on the establishment of the MFO superseded the SFM, and the SFM was closed on April 25, 1982.

References

Michael G. Vannoni, ''Sensors in the Sinai: A Precedent for Regional Cooperative Monitoring'', Nonproliferation & Arms Control Analysis Dept. The Cooperative Monitoring Center, Sandia National Laboratories Albuquerque, New Mexico Sinai Field Mission (1978) 127 min - Documentary
- An independent Film by

Frederick Wiseman Frederick Wiseman (born January 1, 1930) is an American filmmaker, documentarian, and theater director. His work is "devoted primarily to exploring American institutions". He has been called "one of the most important and original filmmakers worki ...

, a documentary film maker. Middle East peace efforts Peacekeeping Egypt–United States relations