Operation Mazurka is the Australian Defence Force

Australian Defence Force

The Australian Defence Force is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy , Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force and a number of 'tri-service' units...

's (ADF) contribution to the Multinational Force and Observers

Multinational Force and Observers

The Multinational Force and Observers is an international peacekeeping force overseeing the terms of the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.-Background:...

 (MFO), an international peacekeeping

Peacekeeping

Peacekeeping is an activity that aims to create the conditions for lasting peace. It is distinguished from both peacebuilding and peacemaking....

 force, based in the Sinai Peninsula

Sinai Peninsula

The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai is a triangular peninsula in Egypt about in area. It is situated between the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and the Red Sea to the south, and is the only part of Egyptian territory located in Asia as opposed to Africa, effectively serving as a land bridge between two...

, overseeing the terms of the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty

Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty

The 1979 Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty was signed in Washington, D.C. on the 26th of March 1979, following the 1978 Camp David Accords, which were signed by Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, and were witnessed by United States President Jimmy Carter.The peace...

.

The MFO operates from two secure bases:

• North Camp, located at El Gorah
  El Gorah
  El Gorah is a locale in northeastern Sinai, in Egypt, approximately 16 kilometers from the Israeli border and 37 km south east of El Arish. The area is sparsely populated by nomads and by farmers who tend small orchards....
  
   in the Northern Sinai, and
• South Camp, located at Sharm el-Sheikh
  Sharm el-Sheikh
  Sharm el-Sheikh is a city situated on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, in South Sinai Governorate, Egypt, on the coastal strip along the Red Sea. Its population is approximately 35,000...
  
  .

The Australian personnel operate predominately in North Camp.

Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

was an original contributor to the MFO with a joint rotary wing squadron deployed in 1981. In 1993, Australia returned to the MFO with an ADF contingent of 25 personnel. Since that time approximately 1,200 personnel have deployed on Operation Mazurka. The ADF contingent operates on a 6 monthly posting cycle, with a part of the contingent rotating every 3 months.

Role

The mission of the MFO is:

"...to supervise the implementation of the security provisions of the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty and employ best efforts to prevent any violation of its terms."

The ADF contingent performs various staff functions in the MFO Headquarters, as well as providing the Force Regimental Signals Officer, Security Sergeants to work with the Colombian Infantry Battalion for the base security at North Camp and Operational and Training staff to the MFO.