Kazulia returning to Peri-Northern Council doctrine?Kazulia to revert to peri-Northern Council doctrine in major reorganisation of armed forcesChief of Defence, General Sigurd Prestegard (RKA).13th December, 4548.On the backdrop of the nation's period of relative inaction amidst the rising clout of transnational communism at the hands of the nations of the C.A.R.S.S and its forefront nation, Deltaria; the new Chief of Defence General Sigurd Prestegard has stated that he intends on preparing the armed forces for a major reorganisation, aimed at reintroducing the nation's combat prowess throughout the international community. The General stated that amidst Kazulia's inaction, the geopolitical climate has changed significantly as various nations now come closer towards Kazulia's domain. Deltaria's installations in Dovani, more specifically its installation in Dankuk is extremely concerning to the Chief of Defence who views the presence of the Deltarian Armed Forces within the region along with its allies with a degree of concern. To Prestegard and other geopolitical analysts, the era of Pax Kazuliana has ended amidst the collapse of the peace it fought to maintain. The Manifest of Tranquillity Doctrine, in its valiant efforts to maintain peace in an increasingly hostile world had concluded to be a failure and the peace had been shattered by Deltaria and the C.A.R.S.S' rapid expansion. This alongside the fact that the C.A.R.S.S and the TSC are locking horns, creates a situation of uncertainty for the Kazulian Government amidst its slide towards the Regional Power status by the Zardic Institute for International Affairs.
Kazulia maintained the most combat effective armed force in existence; an armed forces capable of fighting conflicts in any climate, terrain and time; anywhere throughout the world. Its doctrines had lead to major geopolitical shifts and can be traced to Dorvish doctrinal warfare. According to an official from the Office of the Chief of Defence, although the global landscape is changing, the chances of squaring off with a rival military has not been reduced but has increased as the armed forces takes on intensified international obligations. “The Armed Forces, specifically the Land Forces are a huge mass of troops and adapting them to the conditions of modern warfare is expensive and difficult,” an official from the Department of Defence stated. The armed forces has spent the last millennia securing its strategic interests and putting into motion various contingency plans for specific scenarios expected within their respective environments. This spans from the Arctic to the nation's regional obligations. Although the threat of organised paramilitary organisation hangs over the head of the armed forces as it is surrounded by nations that promote the idea (whilst it is an offence to form or be a member of a paramilitary/militia organisation), amidst the return of the iron curtain between Dankuk and Kazulia and the collapse of their established friendship.
The reorganisation programme is intended to focus on placing the armed forces in a position that would enable for it to capitalise on its current equipment. According to the DoD, the armed forces needs to "shake off" its inactive posture and champion its expeditionary posture. Minister of Defence, Ranveig Fadness stated that the procurement of additional combat vessels such as the HMKS-Arenheim and HMKS-Hammarskjöld and the previous procurement programme of the Queen Annette-class aircraft carriers, was not done as a means of adding the aesthetics of the armed forces. She stated that although the armed forces had utilised the equipment, it had been done in a manner in which one would say is reminiscent of a defence force rather than an expeditionary armed forces. This defensive tendency could also be tied to the fact that the armed forces has ran into multiple issue whether it pertains to oversees deployment and its mobilisation to conflict zone outside of Dovani. It has been argued that the armed forces' mobilisation and deployment to conflict zones within the region is something other nations are actively attempting to mimic, however the downfall lies in deployments outside of the region, where logistics comes into play. It is hoped that the reorganisation programme addresses the issue and brings the aforementioned issues to an end.
Gasstrien mulls gas exploration off Keymonite coastGasstrien considers gas exploration off Keymonite coast after tender documents approvedThe Heider Hill LNG Plant in Northern Dovani, Gasstrien's largest LNG station.13th December, 4548.Gasstrien, the largest oil and natural gas producer in the world, is considering to expand Keymon into a natural gas destination amidst the company's prospects in LNG or liquefied natural gas. Gasstrien has stated that it will assist Keymon with fuel diversification and will also assist in plans for the nation to become a major hub for distributing LNG to various nations within the Mad Dog Ocean region. Gasstrien's Chairman, Ragnar Morstad stated that the company had signed an agreement with the Keymonite Government on the company's potential to begin surveying for natural gas within the nation's economic exclusion zone (EEZ). The giant that is Gasstrien, which has surpassed its Kafuristani competitor amidst its own domestic decline, seeks to venture deeper into exploration and exploitation. Morstad stated that the would be happy to fund the diversification process, citing that such a move would be beneficial for the region in terms of energy security. The Department of Energy and Energy Affairs stated that Keymon had long been planned to become a major hub for oil and natural gas with larger tankers coming in to offload onto smaller barges and tankers for shorter trips to the different nations.
The DoEEA stated that one of the rapidly evolving dynamics of Kazulian gas abundance, and especially its LNG export capability, is that in addition to the large volume of international cargoes bound for Majatra, Seleya and Dovani, there should be a lot of opportunities for smaller cargoes to taxi all over the place in the world. The technology of both floating liquefaction along the lines of accelerating processes, frees up the ability to go to a lot of these smaller markets without needing to build a giant facility. The DoEEA has estimated that in the coming years, Kazulia will become the largest exporter of LNG with the markets of Dovani, Artania and Seleya set to become large importers of the product in the coming months amidst economic development. Whilst Kazulia remains the largest producers of oil and natural gas, it remains among the largest consumers of fossil fuels in the world. Whilst the nation has become a world leader in alternative energy disciplines, the nation has not shaken its dependency on oil and natural gas for fuel and power generation as around 50% of Kazulian energy generation is done through natural gas.
Gasstrien has stated that the potential for natural gas finds in Keymon are extremely high, however they cited that whilst the potential for finds may be high, the projected amount to be found is extremely low, meaning that at most it will take around 10-12 years for Gasstrien to drain the nation's natural gas pockets. Thus, the company is currently in negotiations with the Keymonite Government on sustainable development measures aimed at ensuring the company meets its demand whilst not putting the expected pockets in strain and near the verge of being dried. It is expected that if Keymon were to become the LNG hub Gasstrien the DoEEA believes it could be, Keymon could be the first nation to have its own autonomous oil and natural gas refinery as the DoEEA stated that it will assist the Keymonite Government in constructing such a facility if it would like to push the nation towards an industrialised centre.
SEED to launch trio of modules into order from Valruzia and LourenneSpace Exploration Directorate to launch trio of module for Hermes Space Station from Valruzia and LoureneThe Rapier Space Shuttle strapped to a Stormspike VII rocket will transport the modules into orbit.13th December, 4548.Tomorrow, the Space Exploration and Exploitation Directorate (SEED) is set to launch three Stormspike VII rockets, making it their eleventh launch using the rocket platform. According to SEED, the three separate Shuttles, coined Jotne Alpha, Jotne Beta and Jotne Omega will carry the core module for the Hermes Space Station coined Lille; the Lourennais propulsion and electrical auxiliary power module coined Strife; and the Harmony node which is expected to connect the core module to the propulsion and electrical auxiliary power module. The core module is expected to be the work-house of the space station as it will assemble the other modules as they are placed into orbit alongside it. Launch is expected to be monitored closely by the Royal Kazulian Air-Force who has imposed a no-fly zone around the areas whereby the spacecrafts will be launching. It is expected that the shuttles will place the modules in an elongated orbit around the planet, where after the modules would extend their orbit to align with the orbit as recommended by SEED, near lunar orbit. Upon positioning the core module would spring into action where a simulated test of the craft's systems will be tested. Once this has been cleared and approved by SEED, astronauts will be launched onto the module to begin work on assembling the station.
According to SEED, the launch marks the first time the agency had obtained such a priority launching amidst having the backing of the Royal Kazulian Air-Force through no-fly zones in Valruzia and Lourenne. Apart from this, the launching of the Strife propulsion and electrical auxiliary power module will mark the first time a Lourennais scientific craft had been launched into orbit, thus making it the first Lourennais-built spacecraft to enter orbit. Lourenne contracts several private companies in Kazulia to launch its satellites into orbit, the principle of them being Pixi Cosmic, the private subsidiary of Derrick Kenny's Pixi Group. SEED has stated that the use of the Stormspike VII rocket for the launches marks a transition for the agency as it moves to abandon the Stormspike programme for reusable rockets. Director of SEED, Ragnhild Laugesen stated that the eleven launches using the Stormspike VII rocket had costed the agency around 17.6 Billion LOD. Laugesen stated that it was far too costly recognising the fact that the billion dollar rockets could not be refused. She stated that amidst an audit it was recommended that the agency looked into reusable engines, and hence Pixi Group had been brought on board for a programme to be disclosed by SEED at a later date.
The Northern Defence Integrated Command's RKAF Hringariki Command and Control Centre stated that all three rockets will have 30 minute window, where the command centre will be monitoring the rockets' launch. It is expected that the C2 centre will order either a Guardian-missile battery or a MIM-33 "Lockjaw" battery to shoot down the rockets if it is determined that the rockets have either come off-course or have gone 'rogue'. The Air-Force had been forced to bring down one of the Stormspike rocket launch vehicles after the launch vehicle experienced a malfunction which rendered it non-responsive to commands being issued from SEED's Command and Control Centre. The Air-Force stated that it doesn't want a repeat of that incident, thus leading for it to handle the launches with a particular amount of attention and care.