Light Infantry as Peacekeepers in the Sinai

Abstract

What kinds of soldiers and units are most appropriate for peacekeeping duty? This article compares the adaptation of light infantrymen-trained primarily as part of a rapid deployment force for low-intensity combat missions-with that of soldiers from an elite airborne division who served earlier with the Sinai Multinational Force and Observers. The study tracked over time an infantry company that was part of a battalion task force deployed in spring 1987, using surveys and several waves of extensive individual and group interviews and field observations during the deployment. Our analysis led to four fundamental conclusions: deployments and return from deployments have clear and systematic effects on soldiers' attitudes; training for the peacekeeping mission had measurable effects on the attitudes of soldiers; such low-intensity conflict training lowered soldiers' estimates of the likelihood of high-intensity conflict; and all infantry divisions are not the same in their collective views of the world and their role in it.