Keymon

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One of the major obstacles to Keymon's macroeconomic stability is the inefficient nature of the nation’s state-owned enterprises, which continues to place significant strain on the national budget as many of these enterprises require annual subventions to remain afloat. The boom and bust cycles of the global economy, coupled with the economic and political uncertainty which existed prior to the Social Democratic Party’s rise to power, has contributed enormously to the relative collapse of most, if not all of Keymon's once famed state-owned enterprises. Originally implemented with the intention of maintaining government presence in the local and international markets as a means of bringing true economic equality and equity through the billions of dollars in foreign exchange these companies earned, the Keymonite government aggressively sought out emerging industries and used state-owned enterprises to either push for increased government control or maintain a foot-hold in major economic markets. Notable names are ING, Keymon Weapons Industries, Air Keymon and TeleKEY. Although incompetence and mismanagement at the hands of the executives at the helm of these companies can be blamed for their demise, the Keymonite government has also played a major role, enabling the inefficient nature of these state-owned enterprises. Its tendency to provide annual subventions to these state-owned enterprises without commitments on the part of the companies themselves to restructure their operations towards greater efficiency, the Keymonite government’s creeping legitimisation of monopolies through statutory acts and previous attempts by the Keymonite government to enforce strict price controls on numerous commodities offered by the aforementioned state-owned enterprises. Minister-President Dr Jacques Kirscht, in recognising the need to make Keymon's state-owned enterprises more efficient, a cabinet-level minister would be required to address the situation. Edna Klossner, Minister of Public Administration has been declared corporate-sole of Keymon's state-owned enterprises.

Minister Klossner has stated that she intends on completely transforming all of Keymon's state-owned enterprises. She sought to break down the transformation initiatives coming to companies such as ING, Air Keymon, Keymon Weapons Industries and TeleKEY. According to the Minister, plans are in an advanced stage which would see ING's entire business model rebranded and restructured. She notes that the companies name would be changed from “ING” to “Brennstoff” and as a part of the government’s commitment to the green economy, 30% of the rebranded company’s business must be dedicated towards renewable energy. Directives on the creation of a subsidiary to be known as Brennstoff Alternatives have been handed down to the company’s executive management. Air Keymon’s fleet, routes and staff are expected to be cut in half, with a major rebranding of the airline’s business towards low-cost travel. The halving of Air Keymon’s fleet would see numerous legacy aircraft replaced with much smaller, medium-range aircraft as the company would primarily focus on Artania, Keris/Macon and Seleya. A new tax regime is expected to be rolled out for airlines operating out of Keymon as compensation for the net pollution emitted by aircraft. Although the Minister did not reveal whether the airline’s name would be changed she stated that the executive management and board of the company are still deliberating on the issue. Keymon Weapons Industries, the once-respected defence firm is expected to be restructured and some parts of its business privatised. According to Minister Klossner, although the company’s finances remain stable due to its continued service to the Keymon Defence Forces, the company’s long-term sustainability cannot be based on its dependence on the Keymonite Government for defence contracts. There is currently a discussion with the cabinet on whether the government should maintain its stake in the company altogether, recognising the company’s contributor towards numerous conflicts in the nation’s past. TeleKEY’s monopoly over the telecommunications sector is to be dismantled. Minister Klossner argued that the company’s monopoly has enabled its laissez-faire attitude towards innovation and customer relations. Ahead of Minister Klossner is an enormous task of restructuring/turning around failing state-owned enterprises and aligning their businesses alongside international best practices.

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On the backdrop of the company's performance in the domestic market, Credit Klavia, Keymon's largest financial institution has announced that it intends on expanding its business into the eastern hemisphere through a multi-billion dollar agreement that would see the bank acquire a recently bankrupt bank in Lourenne in what many coin as the company's debut in the eastern hemisphere's lucrative financial market. Credit Klavia, the former state-owned bank of Keymon has grown into the nation's largest private investment banking and financial services firm, outpacing its domestic competitors such as PBC and National Bank. The company's performance in the previous financial year, according to its CEO, is a testament to the bank's successful business model. The company was privatised in 4989 following the decision of the national cabinet, as it became clear that the company's continued role as a personal banking entity of the government would not be feasible in the coming decades and could potentially result in the nationalisation of the bank becoming a long-term failure. Since its privatisation, the bank has expanded its business into services such as investment banking, asset management and private banking. CEO Bendicht Ursenbacher stated that the bank's rapid rise to dominance in the domestic market was mainly due to the sound business and financial decisions made by the company and its board. Having secured its position in the local market, the company is seeking to expand its business outside of Keymon. Recently, it has made major moves to expand its Artanian business, expanding its operations in Malivia to cater to the nation's largely unbanked population. Ursenbacher stated that the bank's success is based on the fact that it continues to seek out unbanked populations. Globally, a large percentage of the population remains unbanked, meaning that they either refuse to conduct business with banks or simply do not have access to the services offered via a bank. Ursenbacher stated that Malivia's largely unbanked population was a key contributor to the company's push towards expanding in the southern-most Artanian nation. With its eyes set to the east now, the bank has stated that it intends on reaching unbanked populations in the Dovanian region where financial services remain largely unheard of due to the relatively lacklustre economic situation in many of the countries on the continent.

Lourenne remains the only stable nation on the Dovanian continent to conduct business. Its history for economic and political stability make it the perfect spot for companies seeking to expand into the Dovanian market to settle and develop roots. Although the nation's economy continues to grow with a heavy tilt towards the green economy, financial services within the nation are primarily held among four major financial institutions. With an understanding of the unique environment of both the Lourennais financial services sector and the Dovanian financial services sector, Christian Ouvrard, the company's new Dovani CEO has already begun aggressive moves to solidify the firm's position. Earlier this morning, the bank announced the acquisition of bankrupt Lourennais banking firm Banque Nouvelles Hauteurs for $1.7 billion LOD ($3.4 billion KED), with many calling the acquisition of the bankrupt bank as the company's debut on the Lourennais market. Ouvrard stated that the bank intends on openly competing with established Lourennais institutions. He explained that although the bank is extremely new to the market, he believes that the company can succeed by utilising its competitive advantages such as its experience in the more versatile, difficult and high-paced Artanian market. Ouvrard also explained that Banque Nouvelles Hauteurs would be renamed to BNH Roulun and would remain a wholly-owned subsidiary of Credit Klavia.

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With the company's business entering into new phases of growth and development, Brennstoff through its subsidiary Brennstoff Alternatives has announced its intentions to develop the nation's first green hydrogen plant. The announcement comes on the heels of the company's continued growth and expansion, having registered a 5 billion KED profit in the previous fiscal term. CEO of Brennstoff, Joder Hofstetter stated that the company's expansion in new and emerging technologies demonstrates its nimble and versatile business model. Concurrently, aside from the company's main revenue earning business of natural gas, Brennstoff has become involved in the international methanol, ammonia and urea markets, dominating in all three sectors as a major producer of the aforementioned products. Hofstetter states that the company's expansion into the green hydrogen industry would kick off the company's involvement in the global bio-fuels market. Concurrently, the company is contemplating the establishment of compressed natural gas (CNG) facilities in the country and pushing both hydrogen and CNG into the downstream sector. Brennstoff Alternatives, as the company's subsidiary responsible for its operations in the renewable energy and biofuels market, would be responsible for both the roll-out and maintenance of the company's CNG and green hydrogen ambitions. General Manager of Brennstoff Alternatives Jean-Claude Kemmer stated that the company's ambitions in the global hydrogen market are centred on the fact that as the company's efficiency in natural gas extraction, refining and marketing increases there is a need for the company to diversify its operations. He explained that although natural gas will remain the core of the company's business, the sector remains extremely volatile as it is a supply and demand economics are at work in the sense that the company only obtains revenue when there is demand for natural gas. Noting that it is better for the company to diversify both its services into other areas, Kemmer stated that the company will continue to be at the forefront of innovation in the global natural gas market. Concurrently, Brennstoff is the only established natural gas company with operations in methanol, urea and ammonia and Kemmer believes that once the company establishes itself in the biofuels industry, it could potentially outcompete many biofuel companies coming out of green energy giant, Lourenne.

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Brenstoff Selling LNG to Kanjor

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As the Government's digital transformation agenda progresses, the need for digital devices is becoming increasingly important for persons wanting to take advantage of the rapidly developing digital economy. On the backdrop of increased demand on electronics stores by the public for digital devices, Minister of Commerce and Industry Franklin Bütikofer announced that the national government would remove taxes on all electronic devices including computers, video-game devices and mobile phones and their associated accessories in a move which he believes will boost digital imports and encourage more persons to take advantage of the nation's developing digital economy. The announcement was made as a part of the government's rolling review of the tax administration. In its preliminary estimates of the import duties on electronic devices and associated accessories, the Keymon Revenue Authority estimated that the government had gained some 5.6 million KED monthly (67.2 million KED per annum). Minister of State for Digital Transformation Benedicht Mumenthaler stated that the development of Keymon's digital economy cannot be fully envisioned when persons don't have easy access to digital devices. He explained that there remain several instances wherein access to digital devices is out of the reach of a handful of individuals, due to the fact that the additional costs associated with the taxes levied on imported digital technologies make the purchase of such products out of their reach. He noted that work had begun on a government programme that would guarantee digital devices to "at-risk" students and those in depressed socioeconomic circumstances. "The removal of taxes on digital devices regardless of their use is a step in the right direction towards the eventual proclamation of a "digital keymon". Prior to their removal, electronic devices and their associated accessories were subject to both a value-added tax (VAT) and an online purchases tax (OPT). When questioned on whether the removal of taxes would cover electronic devices such as video-gaming consoles and the accessories associated with them, Minister Bütikofer stated that the removal of taxes included video game consoles, microphones, soundboards and virtually all electronic devices. Minister Mumenthaler has confirmed that the government intends on easing the pressure placed on video games stating: "Many children learn to use digital devices through video games, thus it would be remise of this government if it were to attempt to stifle children's fun."

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As numerous arms of governance move to embrace the government's digital transformation agenda, the administration of justice is rapidly becoming a new frontier from technological innovation. Against the backdrop of an increasingly difficult situation as it pertains to the availability of space for courthouses and courtrooms, Minister of Justice Michelle Menager, SC and Chief Justice of Keymon Othmar Brechbühler at a joint press conference announced that the Judiciary of Keymon will be going digital with virtual courtrooms, electronic document filings and more. Minister Menager stated that the digital transformation of the Judiciary had been under consideration since the era of former Secretary for Justice Romina D'Ambra who signed the ministry's first memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the then Department of Public Administration and Digital Transformation on technical advice as it pertained to digitising the Judiciary. According to Minister Menager, the process of convincing lawyers and legal clerks that the digitisation of the Judiciary was the most difficult part of the entire process. She noted that in the initial round of consultations numerous legal professionals had expressed their distrust in a digitised judiciary stating that it would open itself up to crippling cybernetic attacks, with many preferring for the Judiciary to remain untouched as it pertains to digitisation, wherein physical documents and physical appearances for the conducting of court business remained the order of the day. The Law Association of Keymon in a rare move sided with the Minister and Chief Justice's decision to digitise the Judiciary saying that it could potentially lead to reduced costs for lawyers and potential removal of bureaucracy. Minister Menager noted that whilst the support of the Law Association had been appreciated by the government it was not enough to encourage the vast majority of lawyers and legal staff to support the transformation. According to the Minister, it was after this when the Chief Justice intervened by introducing a legal order for law chambers and legal staff to prepare for the digitisation of the Judiciary. "It is extremely disappointing that the Judiciary had to be dragged into this digital transformation process kicking and screaming," the Chief Justice said during the press conference. Minister Menager stated that although the Judiciary is an entity independent of the government, the MOU signed between it and the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Public Administration set the stage for their supervision of its digital transformation process.

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Although the nation's economy is being oriented towards digitisation/technology, financial services and logistics, agriculture remains an extremely important underpinning of the government's economic development agenda. Speaking at a press conference at the Chancellery, Minister of Finance and Economic Development Dr Evan Birchmeier stated that although the government has been making honest attempts to address the nation's import dependency in numerous areas such as manufactured goods and petrochemicals, the nation remained extremely dependent on imported agricultural products. A report by the University of Keymon found that agricultural imports had increased from 23% to 41% in the previous three (3) decades, with projections estimating a 10% increase in the coming half-decade. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry identified the importation of agricultural products as a major contributor to the nation's foreign exchange leakage. According to the Ministry, the nation imports $4.5 billion KED per annum on agricultural products including vegetables, dairy and other related items. Dr Birchmeier notes that although the central government continues to make amble room for importers to continue importing agricultural products with relative ease, the situation is not sustainable. Seeking to address the situation, the Minister of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries Bernhardin Heinz announced the government's wide-ranging plan to address the nation's food import bill and transition the nation towards greater food security. One of the major programmes being introduced by the government is the construction of the world's largest mariculture field. According to the Minister, the idea to construct a large mariculture field had been a major consideration underneath successive governments, dating back to the Premiership of Roland Di Natale. A feasibility study had been conducted by the University of Keymon and the Institute for Maritime Research and it had concluded that should the proposed project become established and successful it could cut the nation's food import bill in half and allow for the government to pour investment into other agricultural projects including vertical farming warehouses and national incentive to encourage homeowners to grow home gardens. According to the Minister, once the mariculture field has been completed it is the government's intention to rent lots/ponds to local fisherfolk in exchange for a percentage of the fish and other organisms grown as a means of contributing to the government's national school feeding programme which prepares high-quality, daily, three-course meals for children who are uncertain as to where their next meal may come from.

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Against the backdrop of mounting concerns within the financial and economic fraternity, Minister of Finance and Economic Development Dr Evan Birchmeier announced that amidst serious consultations with the Economic Advisory Board, of which he is an ex-officio member, the government of Keymon would be preceding with creating a sovereign wealth fund for the benefit of the Keymonite economy and the future population. He made the announcement at a joint press conference alongside Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications Dr Emile Sax, Chairman of the Economic Advisory Board Dr Chantal Menager and Governor of the Bank of Keymon Dr Eugène Santer. Minister Birchmeier stated that the rationale behind the proposed sovereign wealth fund is born out of a concern for the government on continued fiscal deficits. Since coming into office, Minister Birchmeier has championed himself as a proponent of fiscal responsibility, stating that although the agenda of expansionary fiscal policy remained a priority for the central government, spending should be targetted in areas that make the most impact. He notes that having incurred an increasing amount of debt over the past three centuries, Keymon is returning to a position whereby its credit rating could potentially decline amidst concerns from the rating agenda and international banks on the ability of the state to maintain its loan obligations. Minister Birchmeier stated that out of that concern, the EAB launched a feasibility study into the creation of a sovereign wealth fund which would be partly responsible for assisting the government in addressing budget shortfalls. Dr Menager explained that sovereign wealth funds can take numerous shapes/structures. From stabilization funds aimed at assisting national governments in stabilising their budgetary deficit situation to savings/future generation funds aimed at setting aside considerable amounts of capital for the future generations, there is no singular structure/function associated with sovereign wealth funds. Minister Birchmeier stated that the government, following consultations with the EAB and other experts in the development of sovereign wealth funds, had decided to develop three (3) separate wealth funds whose capital origins will be different from each other and whose functions will be similarly different.

The government has proposed a stabilisation fund (to be known as the Stabilisation Fund), a future savings fund (to be known as the Future Investment Fund) and a green economy strategic development fund (to be known as the Green Fund). Minister Birchmeier explained the funding mechanisms behind the three aforementioned funds. He noted that in the case of the stabilisation fund and the future savings funds, the capital generated will come from natural gas taxes & royalties. Concurrently, there exists a singular taxation policy on natural gas resources, that being the Petroleum and Natural Gas Profits Tax Act, 4935. It established the basis on which the exploitation of Keymonite natural gas reserves would be taxed. What was absent from the taxation policy were clear guidelines on the use of the revenue collected. Underneath the current code, taxes gained from natural gas are automatically added to the consolidated fund, the main bank account of the central government. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, who determines the rate of the taxes and their general structure via the Minister of State for Energy and Natural Resources alongside the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, has expressed interest in reforming the Petroleum and Natural Gas Profits Tax Act, 4935 with the intention of mandating a percentage of the revenue gained to be inserted into the aforementioned Stabilisation and Future Investment Funds. The bill's current structure simply notes the amount of taxes to be collected by the government according to the price of petroleum. Minister Sax explained that the act was proclaimed prior to the eventual discovery of natural gas resources in Keymon, as policy-makers at the time had anticipated the discovery of crude oil prices. In seeking to update the legislation, brackets on natural gas will be added. Speaking on the green fund, Minister Birchmeier explained that the fund's capital cannot come from fossil fuels but must come from a levy on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. To that end, he stated that he intends on working closely with Minister Sax on a carbon pricing arrangement. The Future Investment Fund and the Green Fund will be managed by the National Investment Corporation, supervised by the Bank of Keymon and audited by independent auditors and accountants.

The rules of the funds' investing conduct remain simple according to the Minister: the stabilisation fund, the green fund and future investment fund would not be allowed to invest in equity related to defence production, fossil fuels and human rights abuses. Its investing activities will be closely monitored by an ethics committee. The Stabilisation Fund, whilst under the direct control of the Central Bank, will be underneath unique withdrawal procedures allowing for greater transparency and accountability. Withdrawals from the green fund can only be made relating to projects of the green economy and withdrawals from the future fund are barred until a date determined by a national referendum.

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"The situation remains uncertain at this point, however, initial reports point to the attacks originating from Deltaria," were the words of Jules Bösiger, Director of the Cyber Security Management Centre (CSMC), at a joint press conference alongside the Minister-President and numerous cabinet officials including the Ministers of the Interior, National Defence and Justice. Moments prior, Director Bösiger revealed that Keymon had been temporarily crippled by a massive and highly coordinated cybernetic attack against government ICT infrastructure, in what has been dubbed as the largest attack in the nation's digital history. According to Bösiger, the attackers—who remain unknown at this time—had launched numerous DDoS attacks against the numerous master servers, causing numerous digital functions of the government to go down. Many of these services include the e-payments system of the numerous government departments and the e-filing systems. Additionally, ransomware had been spread into the government's "government.ky" public information portal, during a late-night routine update by the National Information and Communications Service (NICS), who is responsible for administrating the site. According to Director Bösiger, the attacks seemed to have been primarily aimed at e-payments and the emails of numerous public sector employees involved with the government.ky portal. "Having continued an initial investigation into both attacks, we can confirm that the e-payments system had been the main focus of the attack as some 200 million KED in online transactions had been re-routed to an unknown server." He noted that the attempt on public sector emails was to extract information and data from said emails. The Cyber Security Management Centre (CSMC) had been created in 4921 with the intention of guarding Keymonite digital infrastructure against cybernetic attacks. Some cybersecurity experts have come out against the CSMC stating that the agency had virtually failed in its mandate. Senior Consultant at Global Shield, a startup cybersecurity firm, Raphaël Gisin stated that had the CSMC focused its attention on security digital infrastructure in Keymon instead of its data vault programme, this morning's cyber attack would have been avoidable. Director Bösiger did confirm that the majority of the attacks had originated from Deltaria, as the hackers used VPNs to mask their real locations. Speaking at the conference, Minister of Justice Michelle Menager stated that she had already sought the assistance of her counterpart in Deltaria to investigate the situation. She noted that this morning's attack was not a failure of legislation but a failure of process. She noted that although the legislation pertaining to cybersecurity had been updated, this morning's attack was strictly based on the ability of the CSMC to anticipate the attack and make the "right moves". Minister of National Defence, Elias Bührer stated that the Keymon Defence Force would be seeking to assist the CSMC in its investigation as the agency moves to obtain a clearer picture of the entire situation. The Financial Regulatory Authority has stated that it has launched its own investigation into the 200 million KED re-routed to the Deltarian-based server, stating that it intends on launching criminal proceedings aimed at recovering the stolen money. Amidst the attack, many are calling for increased attention by the government on cybersecurity alongside the resignation of CSMC Director Jules Bösiger and the "beefing up" of the agency's digital infrastructure and manpower.

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A commitment by the central government to improve the nation's defensive capabilities has resulted in the proposed budget for the Ministry of National Defence increased from $20 billion KED to $30 billion KED. For much of its reformed history, the Ministry of National Defence has been among the least funded government ministries, owing to Keymon's policy of neutrality and the nation's previous decision to disband its armed forces amidst cost concerns. Since the formal re-establishment of the defence force, defence planners and policy-makers have been involved in a decades-long strategy and tactics development exercise. Owing to the completion of said exercise, the Ministry of National Defence is moving the defence force's development into a new phase. Coined the Defence Force Rearmament Programme (DFRP), it is an amalgamation of the previous attempts to launch individual rearmament programmes for the three branches of the defence force. Underneath previous administrations, rearmament had been launched with the intention of satisfying the needs of the various branches on a case-by-case basis, beginning with the Army, then the Air Force and finally the Navy. However, the newly appointed Chief of Defence General Lucas Von Grünigen has stated that the nation is behind its predetermined target for armed neutrality. According to General Von Grünigen, the Keymon Defence Force was supposed to have been conducting numerous ground, aerospace and naval operations using its new and existing equipment and training with them on a rolling basis. Instead, the situation for the defence force has been grim. Only recently a contract with Dorvish companies had been signed which would see main battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles being introduced to the Keymonite Army. Both the Navy and Air Force have not received the equipment they were destined to due to defence cuts underneath previous administrations, and the communications and cybernetic security equipment of the defence force remains generations behind those utilised by law enforcement and the Cyber Security Management Centre. General Von Grünigen stated that this is a major setback for the defence force in ensuring Keymon's vision of armed neutrality become a reality.

The Defence Procurement Agency, as the entity responsible for reviewing and approving equipment purchases for the defence force, stated in an official media release that the lack of approvals from its end had been the result of the three branches proposing unrealistic equipment purchases. Director-General Dr Bernhardin Trub explained that a large percentage of the equipment purchase requests were related to the procurement of equipment that could not be utilised within Keymon's strategic and tactical environment, let alone the mountainous terrain which dominates the island. He noted as an example, a request by the Keymonite Army for the procurement of the M1A1 Connelly main battle tank, the export variant of the Zardic made M1A1 battle tank. Dr Trub stated that a review of the main battle tank within the environment and resources of Keymon found that the tank would put an additional strain on fuel resources. He stated that its large turbine engine consumed large amounts of diesel with a reduced range when compared to the Dorvish-made Leopard 2a6. Chief of Defence Von Grünigen stated that the recent meeting of the Defence Council saw the appointment of new Chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force as a result of incompetence at the hands of previous commanders. Earlier this morning, at a joint press conference alongside the member of the Defence Council, Director-General Trub spoke with great detail on the future procurement decisions of the defence force, beginning with the Navy. Dr Trub explained that Keymon's maritime defence strategy is anchored in its role as a green-water navy, operating extensively within Keymon's economic exclusion zone (EEZ), with limited maritime aviation operations on the borders of the Mad Dog Ocean. Thus, aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships, landing helicopter docks are out of the picture. Instead, destroyers and frigates remain the focus of the DPA. Dr Trub has stated that the DPA alongside the Keymonite Navy has been reviewing proposals from Dorvik, Lourenne and Kazulia with particular interest. He explained that the Dorvish Type 125 Frigate had been confirmed as the future frigate of the Navy, with the support from the Kazulian-designed Absolutt-class anti-submarine frigate. Dr Trub stated that the DPA is still in the process of reviewing potential destroyer proposals. Maritime patrol aircraft are also under consideration with the Asvald Gruppen Marlin being shortlisted.

On the Keymonite Army, Dr Turb stated that no requests had been sent to the DPA on a replacement of the Keymonite Army's main assault rifle, the KG-56. According to Dr Turb, there had been no real requests for the replacement of existing infantry equipment, instead, the bulk of requests have come from the armoured and mechanisms components of the Army. Concurrently, the Keymonite Army operates a large number of M113 armoured personnel carriers (APC), with the vehicle forming the backbone of Keymon's mechanised doctrine. Although a local pattern of the Kazulian-made CV90 is slowly being integrated into the army to replace the M113, Chief of the Army Lt.General Chris Baumgartner stated that wheeled APCs should also be considered. Three months ago, the DPA finalised an agreement with Dortmund GmbH on the procurement of wheeled armoured personnel carriers and armoured fighting vehicles. In the area of main battle tanks, the Keymonite Army has decided to remain with the Dorvish-built Leopard platform. Concurrently, the Leopard 2a4 continues to serve in armoured battalions of the Army, however as anti-tank munitions around the world become increasingly sophisticated, there is a need for the army to increase the survivability of its main battle tank fleet. To this end, the DPA has ordered around 100 Leopard 2a6 main battle tanks to replace the Army's current 2a4 fleet. According to Dr Turb, the 2a6 is stronger in terms of armour and is capable of an increased range due to a larger engine. Moving into the realm of the air force, Turb stated that the air force was in for a major transformation. Without combat aircraft, the Keymonite Air Force had become largely useless. With this in mind, the DPA is moving to procure the Dorvish-made Unionfighter Typhoon, the ADG Tornado IDS, the ADG Tornado ECR and the ADG Tornado ADV. Airborne early warning and control aircraft are also a part of the air-force procurement programme, with the Asvald Gruppen AV 340 AEW&C being shortlisted. On transport aircraft, the ADG 4400M is expected to replace the ageing ADG C-160. On transport and utility helicopters, the ADG AS332 Super Puma would remain the primary transport/utility helicopter of the Keymonite Army Air Corps.