›› Roughly half are seconded from the U.S. Department of State and the other half are directly hired by the MFO. Quite separate from the observation carried out in Zone C by the three infantry battalions of the Force, only the COU performs regular observation and verification missions throughout all four zones of the Treaty area in Egypt and Israel. The purpose of the missions is to verify implementation of Peace Treaty limitations on military personnel, armaments and infrastructure. Such missions are carried out not less than twice a month, and the cycle includes prior reconnaissance flights to prepare observers for their missions. As set out in the Treaty Protocol, observers must also be prepared to undertake additional verifications within forty-eight hours of a request from either Party.
A typical verification mission lasts from two to four days and involves the use of MFO vehicles and helicopters to move the teams of observers throughout the four zones. On missions involving Zones A, B, and C in Egypt, the observers are accompanied by Egyptian Army liaison officers, while in Zone D in Israel they are joined by Israeli liaison officers. In the course of a complete cycle of missions, the observers cover all the Egyptian and Israeli installations in the four zones.
