Is a peacekeeping culture emerging among American infantry in the Sinai MFO?

The United States has had infantry battalions serving six-month deployments as part of the Multinational Force and Observers in the Sinai Desert in su pport of the Camp David Accords since 1982. This is America's longest stand ing peacekeeping operation. This article, based on field observation, parti cipant observation, and hundreds of individual and group interviews by an i nterdisciplinary group of researchers over a thirteen-year period, focuses on a set of these battalions to ascertain whether a mission culture is emer ging among the regular army paratroopers and light infantrymen and National Guard infantry soldiers who have served on this mission. Although differen ces among units were observed, these soldiers interpreted the peacekeeping mission, and their roles as peacekeepers, in the context of the more martia l missions of the army. Nonetheless, they all adapted to the mission and it s norm of impartiality and performed it effectively.