Center for the rehearsal was the F21 base outside Luleå, northern Sweden. The airports of Vidsel, Bodø (Norway) and Oulu (Finland) were also used as bases.[5] Command and control was executed by the Joint Force Air Component headquarters from Ramstein Air Base.[1]
Lapistan is a fictitious undemocratic unstable country that is ruled by a military clique which hosts terrorist training camps. The exercise's scenario is centered over a conflict over oil and natural gas with Bothnia, a fictitious neighboring NATO country, with some presence of nearby neutral fictitious countries Nordistan and Suomia, who refer to Norway and Finland, respectively.[6]
Lapistan name controversy
The name "Lapistan" gave rise to some controversy as possibly denigrating to Sami people and Muslims.[7]
Some Swedish political analysts also expressed concern that such a name may run contrary to Swedish stance of international neutrality. A spokesperson for the Swedish Sami umbrella organization, Svenska Samernas Riksförbund, compared the choice of name to "Jewistan", "Niggeristan" and "Zemmouristan".[7]