Canada to lead Multinational Force and Observers until 2017

DND Press Release
November  2015

OTTAWA — Defence Minister Harjit S. Sajjan announced  that Canadian Major-General Denis Thompson will continue to serve as Force Commander for the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) for an additional year, until March 2017. He assumed command of the MFO in March 2014.

The MFO is an independent international organization whose mandate is to supervise the implementation of the security provisions of the 1979 Egyptian-Israeli Treaty for Peace. The deployment of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel to strategic positions within the MFO is part of Canada’s broader engagement in support of peace efforts in the Middle East.

Quick Facts
The MFO was established in 1981 and is comprised of over 1600 personnel, consisting of army, air and naval components from 13 countries; including CAF personnel currently deployed on Operation CALUMET, Canada’s contribution to the MFO. Canada has maintained a contingent in the MFO since September 1985.

Since March 2015, the Canadian contingent has included Military Police officers who conduct police and security duties in the North and South camps of the multinational peacekeeping force. These duties include traffic control, patrols, investigations, inspections, and searches. They are also responsible for crime prevention programs.

Major-General Thompson is a graduate of the Royal Military College and has served in all three Battalions of the Royal Canadian Regiment as well as Joint Task Force 2. His operational deployments include command appointments in Cyprus, Germany and Bosnia (twice). He was NATO's Commander of Task Force Kandahar in 2008.

“The extension of Major-General Thompson’s mandate as Force Commander of the Multinational Force and Observers is a reflection of his professionalism and dedication to carrying out the MFO’s important mandate of promoting peace and security in the Sinai and the region. I am confident that the MFO will continue to be well served under his leadership‎."
--- The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of National Defence