Loyal Arrow
Encyclopedia
Loyal Arrow was a major exercise
of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) held in Northern Sweden
in 8 June 2009 – 16 June 2009. Ten NATO and non-NATO countries will participate in the live fire exercise
s, which is aimed to train selected parts of the NATO Response Force
Joint Force Air Component Headquarters
in the conduct and coordination of air operations.
It was the biggest military air exercise ever held in Sweden.
sends HMS Illustrious
, an Invincible-class
light aircraft carrier
, with 1,000 soldiers on-board.
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. Command and control was executed by the Joint Force Air Component headquarters from Ramstein Air Base
.
(NRF), acting under a mandate by the United Nations Security Council
, will be deployed to a theatre of operations, Lapistan.
Lapistan is a fictitious undemocratic unstable country that is ruled by a military clique
which hosts terrorist training camp
s. 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.
and Muslim
s.
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" or "Niggeristan".
Military exercise
A military exercise is the employment of military resources in training for military operations, either exploring the effects of warfare or testing strategies without actual combat...
of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) held in Northern Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in 8 June 2009 – 16 June 2009. Ten NATO and non-NATO countries will participate in the live fire exercise
Live fire exercise
A live fire exercise or LFX is any exercise in which a realistic scenario for the use of specific equipment is simulated. In the popular lexicon this is applied primarily to tests of weapons or weapon systems that are associated with the various branches of a nation's armed forces, although the...
s, which is aimed to train selected parts of the NATO Response Force
NATO Response Force
The NATO Response Force is a "coherent, high-readiness, joint, multinational force package" of up to 25,000 troops that is "technologically advanced, flexible, deployable, interoperable and sustainable"...
Joint Force Air Component Headquarters
Allied Air Forces Central Europe
Allied Air Forces Central Europe was the headquarters for NATO air forces in Central Europe from 1951 to 1967 and from 1974 to 1993.-History:It was first based at Fontainebleau , and originally activated in April 1951...
in the conduct and coordination of air operations.
It was the biggest military air exercise ever held in Sweden.
Participants
Overall the exercise involved about 800-900 participants and 50 jets from Germany, Finland, the United Kingdom, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Turkey, the United States and NATO’s airborne early warning component. Planes from NATO’s Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS), as well as other helicopters and transport aircraft, participated in the exercise. The Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
sends HMS Illustrious
HMS Illustrious (R06)
HMS Illustrious is the second of three Invincible-class light aircraft carriers built for the Royal Navy in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She is the fifth warship and second aircraft carrier to bear the name Illustrious, and is affectionately known as "Lusty" to her crew...
, an Invincible-class
Invincible class aircraft carrier
The Invincible class is a class of light aircraft carrier operated by the British Royal Navy. Three ships were constructed, , and . The vessels were built as aviation-capable anti-submarine warfare platforms to counter the Cold War North Atlantic Soviet submarine threat, and initially embarked...
light aircraft carrier
Light aircraft carrier
A light aircraft carrier is an aircraft carrier that is smaller than the standard carriers of a navy. The precise definition of the type varies by country; light carriers typically have a complement of aircraft only ½ to ⅔ the size of a full-sized or "fleet" carrier.-History:In World War II, the...
, with 1,000 soldiers on-board.
Center for the rehearsal was the F21 base outside Luleå
Luleå
- Transportation :Local buses are run by .A passenger train service is available from Luleå Centralstation on Sweden's national SJ railway service northbound to Narvik on the Norwegian coast, or southbound to Stockholm. See Rail transport in Sweden....
, northern Sweden. The airports of Vidsel, Bodø
Bodø
is a city and a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Salten region.The city of Bodø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . Bodin was merged with Bodø on 1 January 1968. Skjerstad was merged with Bodø on 1 January 2005...
(Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
) and Oulu
Oulu
Oulu is a city and municipality of inhabitants in the region of Northern Ostrobothnia, in Finland. It is the most populous city in Northern Finland and the sixth most populous city in the country. It is one of the northernmost larger cities in the world....
(Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
) were also used as bases. Command and control was executed by the Joint Force Air Component headquarters from Ramstein Air Base
Ramstein Air Base
Ramstein Air Base is a United States Air Force base in the German state of Rheinland-Pfalz. It serves as headquarters for the United States Air Forces in Europe and is also a North Atlantic Treaty Organization installation...
.
Scenario
Within the fictitious scenario, elements of the NATO Response ForceNATO Response Force
The NATO Response Force is a "coherent, high-readiness, joint, multinational force package" of up to 25,000 troops that is "technologically advanced, flexible, deployable, interoperable and sustainable"...
(NRF), acting under a mandate by the United Nations Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
, will be deployed to a theatre of operations, Lapistan.
Lapistan is a fictitious undemocratic unstable country that is ruled by a military clique
Clique
A clique is an exclusive group of people who share common interests, views, purposes, patterns of behavior, or ethnicity. A clique as a reference group can be either normative or comparative. Membership in a clique is typically exclusive, and qualifications for membership may be social or...
which hosts terrorist training camp
Terrorist training camp
A terrorist training camp is a training camp whose purpose is to teach students methods of terrorism. Terrorists train there to launch attacks, ranging from suicide bombing practice to field combat. They are often located in regions for the aims of those conducting the training, or in traditional...
s. The exercise's scenario is centered over a conflict over oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
and natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
with Bothnia, a fictitious neighboring NATO country, with some presence of nearby neutral fictitious countries Nordistan and Suomia, who refer to Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, respectively.
Lapistan name controversy
The name "Lapistan" gave rise to some controversy as possibly denigrating to Sami peopleSami people
The Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are the arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sámi are Europe’s northernmost...
and Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s.
Some Swedish political analysts also expressed concern that such a name may run contrary to Swedish stance of international neutrality
Neutrality (international relations)
A neutral power in a particular war is a sovereign state which declares itself to be neutral towards the belligerents. A non-belligerent state does not need to be neutral. The rights and duties of a neutral power are defined in Sections 5 and 13 of the Hague Convention of 1907...
. A spokesperson for the Swedish Sami umbrella organization, Svenska Samernas Riksförbund, compared the choice of name to "Jewistan" or "Niggeristan".
External links
- NATO HQ Ramstein LOYAL ARROW 2009 (LAW 09) news release 9 April 2009