July 2nd 2023, marked an historical event for the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO), and for the Albanian Armed Forces. At 10:00 AM, the Albanian flag was officially raised in front of the Force Headquarters in South Camp, Sinai, by the first three members of the newly formed Albanian Contingent.
Both the Force Commander, Major General (MG) Pavel Kolář, and Force Sergeant Major, Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) William King, attended the flag raising and remarked that it was an honor for them to witness the addition of a new flag to the MFO family.
MG Kolář stated, “I’m happy to welcome our new contingent from Albania into the MFO. I look forward to their contributions to our Force through the Force Military Police Unit, and to our multinational environment. Welcome to the MFO!”
“It’s not every day you see a new contingent being added to the MFO. It is quite a rare event actually,” said CWO King. “The last one was in 2019, when Japan deployed two members, thus forming the Japanese Contingent. I consider myself quite lucky to be here for the arrival of the Albanians, and to see the formation of what is now our 14th military contingent.”
The Albanian contingent is composed of three military personnel who will occupy positions within the Force Military Police Unit, replacing Canadian and American soldiers.