Bertil Stjernfelt

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The Sinai Peace Front

THE STUDY IS in two parts. The first is chronological, and begins with the establishment of the UN Emergency Force (UNEF Il) after the October War of 1973; the political antecedents involving the Secretary-General, the Security Council and the countries approached for contributions; the interposition of "mini-battalions" between the Egyptian and Israeli front lines; the UNEF build-up, the complex separation of forces, the establishment of the blue helmets in the buffer-zones, routine activities and incidents,

and finally - after a peace treaty - the winding-up of the UN force. The despatch of a Swedish advance guard to a new peacekeeping force in Lebanon in 1978 is also described. The three levels and locations of command - UN headquarters in

New York, UNEF headquarters, and the fourteen successive Swedish contingents - are all given their due weight.

The second part is analytical, looking not only at the course of events, but at the different concerns of the military staff: operational, logistical and personal. The final chapter sums up the essential experience and lessons of the operation, with some proposals for improvements.

Sweden, a neutral state since early in the nine-teenth century, has made an active contribution, with forces and observers, to most of the United Nations peacekeeping operations. The benefit has been mutual: for the UN the com-mitment of a prosperous state with a tradition of military preparedness despite its neutrality, and for Sweden the opportunity to practise military leadership and test its s

The study is in two parts. The first is chronological, and begins with the establishment of the UN Emergency Force (UNEF Il) after the October War of 1973; the political antecedents involving the Secretary-General, the Security Council and the countries approached for contributions; the interposition of "mini-battalions" between the Egyptian and Israeli front lines; the UNEF build-up, the complex separation of forces, the establishment of the blue helmets in the buffer-zones, routine activities and incidents, and finally - after a peace treaty - the winding-up of the UN force. The despatch of a Swedish advance guard to a new peacekeeping force in Lebanon in 1978 is also described. The three levels and locations of command - UN headquarters in New York, UNEF headquarters, and the fourteen successive Swedish contingents - are all given their due weight. The second part is analytical, looking not only at the course of events, but at the different concerns of the military staff: operational, logistical and personal. The final chapter sums up the essential experience and lessons of the operation, with some proposals for improvements.