// Postcard from the Sinai

April 2008, Sinai, the NZ contingent with NZ Ambassador to Egypt, René Wilson.

10 April, 2008

10 April 2008

By Sgt J. Brookes and Sgt L. Leitch

The New Zealand Training and Advisory Team (NZTAT) continues to work hard in the Sinai, as it has done for 20 - odd years. The NZTAT comprises eight Kiwi’s, and is a significant part of the New Zealand Contingent of 26 New Zealand Defence Force personnel to the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO).

For those of you who aren’t aware, the NZTAT is comprised of an Operations Wing, and a Driving Wing. Operations Instructors are responsible for training all MFO duty investigators (who can be called upon to investigate possible Treaty violations of Egypt or Israel), training all Remote Site commanders (who observe and report on the two nations activities), and conducting snap inspections of the Remote Sites to ensure they are operationally effective.

Driving instructors are responsible for testing all personnel who drive an MFO vehicle, in addition to running courses for armoured land cruiser drivers, bus drivers, and unit Driving instructors.

Both wings of the NZTAT also fulfill a large number of other roles which include: running range familiarisations, updating the MFO vehicle recognition documents, supporting MFO exercises, and planning the Force Driving Skills Competition and Force Skills Competition – comparable to a 'skill at arms' competition.

Planning of the Force Driving Skills Competition has been one of the recent tasks for the NZTAT, with the Senior Driving Instructor (SDI) and all Driving Instructors (DIs) heavily involved in this. Another task has been updating the MFO recognition documents and material, which has fallen mainly on the shoulders of WO1 ‘Big Kev’ Foster. This is a task he has embraced fully.

One of the unique aspects of the Operation is the multitude of different nations that contribute to the mission.

Despite the political differences between Fiji and New Zealand; in the Sinai, New Zealanders and Fijians work and socialize together on a daily basis. There are also contingents from Australia, Italy, France, Canada, the US, Colombia, Norway (including the Force Commander), Hungary, and Uruguay. In the NZTAT’s training and advisory roles, we have daily contact with personnel from all of these nations during our duties.

Aside from the obvious language barriers (e.g, it’s a chilly bin, not an esky), to operate effectively we must also cross cultural barriers. During our time at the MFO, to help cross these barriers we have enlisted the assistance of WO2 ‘Tom Jones’ Takuira-Mita (SDI), and Sgt ‘I was a backup dancer for Michael Jackson’ Brookes (DI). Stunning individual performances from both of these have gone a long way to improving international relations. With 6 weeks left before half of the NZTAT return home, we all look forward to keeping up the hard work….

Ends

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