Keymon

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Having overcome decades of uncertainty and adversity as the company navigated the difficult waters of low economic growth in Keymon and even lower trans-continental traffic between Artania, Seleya, Majatra and Keris/Macon, Mad Dog Shipping (MDS) has unveiled its plan to restructure the company's operations in order to reorient the company's focus towards enabling greater transnational shipping throughout the world. At a press conference held at the company's headquarters in Munberg, recently appointed CEO of MDS Alexander Von Siebenthal revealed that the company had been waiting for "some time now" to initiate its restructuring plan, which it states would set the stage for the company's return to global excellence. According to Von Siebenthal, Mad Dog Shipping, which primarily exists in the transhipment and shipbuilding market, would have to diversify its operations to include becoming increasingly involved in the business of constructing and operating port infrastructure as well as explore more markets for the company to gain greater access to large trade flows. On becoming involved in the construction and operation of port infrastructure, Von Siebenthal stated that the company would undoubtedly have to increase its investment in terminals. Concurrently, MDS leases terminals from firms and authorities in the ports where they load and unload their respective cargo. Von Siebenthal stated that the company believes that it was indeed time for it to invest in its own infrastructure as the cost associated with leasing terminals from local firms were beginning to increase at record rates. He also stated that the company intended to look into developing inland services. "It is our belief that should our company succeed against the incredible odds set against it, we need to become involved throughout the entire supply chain from boat to truck. It is therefore our belief that we must begin to look at developing inland services, thus allowing for us to move the containers we transport from the ports to their respective destinations with our own trucks and our own drivers," Von Siebenthal explained. On exploring more markets to gain greater access to larger trade flows, Von Siebenthal stated that although news of the Artanian Union's revival would undoubtedly mean a rebound in transhipment flows throughout Artania and to extra-regional territories, the company maintains a unique vision in that its services can be found anywhere, on any continent. Thus, the company believes that it must also diversify its base to include servicing the needs of new clients from other continents. Von Siebenthal revealed that the company was in deep negotiations with representatives from the government of Cildania, as he said: "Majatra is a continent of extreme potential for our company to grow. Economic activity in Cildania has become a catalyst for many firms to embrace their confidence in the continent's potential for extraordinary economic success. I can state that we are deeply involved in negotiations with the government of Cildania as we hope to expand our services into Majatra via an integrated hub in Cildania. From that hub, we intend to trial numerous new business strategies including a digital transformation programme which would enable greater use of online services instead of physical/face-to-face interaction, a trial of our potential plans for warehousing services and our new supply chain management solution: ISCMS." Von Siebenthal stated that the company's shipbuilding arm has intentions to use this upcoming Cildania hub as a trial for a smaller dockyard model as the company hopes to operate smaller vessels alongside its larger mega container ships. Financing for its restructuring is supposedly being secured via a long-term loan from Credit Klavia and the Industrial Finance Corporation (a subsidiary of Keymon's national development bank, NLK Group). On the latter end of the conference, Von Siebenthal alongside the company's recently appointed Chairman, Didier Dieschbourg unveiled the company's rebranding campaign as the company would transition from Mad Dog Shipping (MDS) to G.F Ins-Elliker (or Elliker) after the company's founding fathers, Giann Florentius Ins and Klaus Elliker.

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With the National Police's most recent criminal investigation revealing that firearms imported from extra-regional territories are becoming increasingly present in homicides and other related crimes, there has been a growing call for the nation to enhance its border protection efforts. Against this backdrop, at a joint press conference at the Department of National Defence building in Münberg, Minister of National Defence Martine Barthel announced that the Department had approved plans to construct a new series of vessels which it believes would enable the navy to restart at-sea operations in securing and defending the nation's marine borders. Minister Barthel stated that following approval for both the Royal Keymonite Navy Modernisation Programme and the Royal Keymonite Navy Procurement Proposal, the branch had been in communication with numerous contractors including Pennington-Reid and Asvald Gruppen Maritime Systems to construct the series of vessels. According to Commander of the Royal Keymonite Navy Vice Admiral Niklaus Rimensberger, the Navy had chosen Pennington-Reid to construct the vessels. He noted that the navy's procurement bureau had been in talks with the Department of National Defence on potentially using its recently nationalised Landert Shipyard to construct the vessels, however, the DoND noted that the shipyard was in no way prepared to begin accepting ships as its facilities refit and modernisation was still underway. Instead, Vice Admiral Rimensberger said that the vessels would be constructed in Pennington-Reid's shipyard in Rutania. The vessels to be constructed include 10 Erwin Brassel-class offshore patrol vessels. Vice Admiral Rimensberger noted that the proposed Erwin Brassel class would be the Navy's preferred offshore patrol vessel going forward, explaining that its range and tonnage would enable the Navy to conduct extended operations in the Artanian Sea, the immediate body of water surrounding Keymon. "The vessels are as large as the ocean-going vessels supposedly lined up for the navy. The existence of a sizeable helicopter hanger allows for the ship to conduct operations well beyond its reach and the combat suite, which is being designed by Pennington-Reid would allow for the crew of these vessels to respond to numerous issues/challenges," Vice Admiral Rimensberger explained. The vessels, according to Vice Admiral Rimensberger will become the backbone of Keymon's maritime border patrol capabilities. As patrolling the nation's maritime border and its economic exclusion zone is the responsibility of a sub-bureau within the Navy, there have been calls for the Department of National Defence to consider establishing a coast guard or maritime border guard separate and independent of the Navy. The entire construction programme is expected to cost around 10 billion KED. Pennington-Reid has said that the project's completion could take around 10 years, but noted that the process could be expedited should the Department of Defence allow the company to lease its larger, multi-dry dock Landert facility.

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No other nation has demonstrated the inherent importance and successes of long-term national economic and social planning than Keymon. Since the proclamation of the 2nd Republic centuries ago, Keymon's national development trajectory has been carefully guided by a robust yet flexible approach to national planning. From the government's ambitious plan to digitise almost every part of the Keymonite Government to the development of a vibrant digital economy to the nation's brief, but ultimately extremely successful foray into the petrochemicals sector, almost every major economic decision the nation has made since has been conceptualised by a painstakingly planned national development strategy. Yet as the Giezendanner administration enters its new term, it has drawn a conclusion that many economists and financial analysts have highlighted in the past albeit in hushed tones. Amidst the great outpouring of government investment into addressing the nation's infrastructure challenges, uprooting and reforming the macroeconomic and fiscal foundation of the Keymonite economy, the "state" has become a behemoth. In almost every sector, the national government leads the way in terms of innovation, employment levels and productivity. It is no secret that the Keymonite Government is the largest employer in Keymon, employing more than 1.8 million Keymonite citizens throughout various government departments, agencies and state-owned companies. The economic activity of state-owned companies accounts for around 67% of the nation's GDP and the majority of patents issued via the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) have been primarily made by either state-owned companies and their subsidiaries or the Unversity of Keymon. As a direct result, the private sector accounts for around 33% of national GDP and occupies a shrinking market presence as state-owned companies become more emboldened. This conclusion is reminiscent of the critiques of the late Dr Linard Waldvogel, a development economist, who conceptualised in a paper entitled "The Tortoise and the Hare: the Private Sector Innovation Myth" the phrase "the Laziness of the Private Sector". Dr Waldvogel opined that "the laziness of the private sector" contributed to a lack of innovation within the Keymon at the time, with state enterprises and government departments being the near sole arbiters of innovation within the nation. With numerous tax concessions and beneficial arrangements created to encourage private sector involvement in the digital transformation of Keymon, the inability of the private sector to jump at said opportunities could soon create a situation wherein the private sector shrinks whilst the public sector continued to balloon. At a press conference at Platzhaus, Minister-President Dr Franziska Giezendanner, alongside Minister of Finance and Economic Development Dr Oscar Brennwald and Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications Dr Sana Kocherhans, stated that a holistic rethink was needed to ensure the nation could once again aggressively pursue long-term national economic and social planning albeit without the national government is the "fire starter". Dr Giezendanner explained that although this proposed "rethink" would not mean the shuttering of all state-owned companies, it would mean that the Keymonite Government would no longer become involved in numerous sectors. She noted that in many instances, the majority of Keymon's state-owned companies are primarily involved in sectors of the economy which one wouldn't usually see a state-owned company in other territories. Pointing to the state-owned ICT development company E-Keymon and the state-owned fisheries company "National Fisheries" as two examples of ultimately nonsensical state-owned ventures, Dr Giezendanner stated that the principal reason behind the regression/retreat of the private sector was the scope/scale of government involvement in the various sectors of the economy. "The government has become very involved in the national economy to the point whereby we could be easily classified as a near-communist nation. These companies, backed by the weight of the public sector have been squeezing the private sector out of the markets they once dominated and now we find ourselves in a position wherein we've become so involved that the risk associated with our "spread" is enough to bring the entire economy crashing down should an unforeseen economic shock occur," Dr Giezendanner explained.

Seeking to provide both a new trajectory for national economic development and room for the private sector to make a herculean rebound in its contribution to national GDP, Drs Brennwald and Kocherhans unveiled Keymon's first national development bank, the National Land Credit Institute (NLK). According to Dr Kocherhans, the NLK will be the new means by which the national government becomes involved in the national economy without the need for state-owned companies. She explained that with the government's intention to become less directly involved in numerous sectors of the economy, a period of mass privatisation is expected to sweep through the nation. "From telecommunications and ICT to agriculture and mining, the government intends to privatise all its state-owned companies involved in these sectors and tread a new path for government involvement in the economy: financing." The National Land Credit Institute is expected to be the sole government body responsible for providing financing for private-sector projects in the various sectors of the national economy. Based on a system developed in Lodamun, private-sector companies seeking to become involved in a sector of the Keymonite economy could apply for financing from the NLK wherein should the NLK approve financing, it will receive a stake in either the private business itself or the project which it is financing. In its role as Keymon's national development bank, the NLK will be responsible for advertising and financing national development projects also. For example, as the construction arm of the National Housing Corporation will be privatised, the construction of new housing units will be exclusively left to the private sector, however, the NHC may develop plans for housing units, contract a private sector company to construct and maintain the housing units whilst the NLK finances the project. Dr Brennwald explained that the NLK would act as a group of companies and thus would maintain numerous subsidiaries whose business would relate to the sector of national economic development they are responsible for providing financing and technical support. This includes the Industrial Finance Corporation which will provide financing for projects related to industrial development, from manufacturing to petrochemicals; the Housing Finance Corporation which, as mentioned prior, will provide financing for housing development projects both from the public and private sector; the Agricultural Finance Corporation which will provide financing for projects which reduce Keymon's dependence on imported foods and increases the nation's agricultural output and the Green Finance Corporation which will provide financing for projects related to the green and blue economies from solar and wind farms to the revitalisation of coastal communities. The proceeds for the government's "privatisation sprint" is expected to partly capitalise the NLK and its subsidiaries to the tune of 20 billion KED with the remaining 30 billion KED expected from privatisation set to remain in keeping in a fund for future uses of the national government. Dr Giezendanner believes that the NLK and its subsidiaries will become the single most important entities to Keymon's economic success since the creation of the Economic Planning Board of the Department of Economic Affairs and Communications. Veteran banker and former Group CEO of Credit Klavia Dr Bandino de Alberinis has been tapped to lead the NLK as the group's CEO.

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The Keymonite Government, having committed to enhancing the pace of the nation's transition away from fossil fuels and towards cleaner, greener alternative sources of energy, announced earlier this morning that it had reached an agreement with two private companies for offshore and onshore wind power projects. The announcement, according to State Secretary for Energy and Natural Resources Richard Ries, represents the first major investment into the state's highly touted green economic agenda and represents the first investment of its kind in Keymon in centuries. The agreement, according to State Secretary Ries is the culmination of months of negotiations between the Keymonite Government (represented via the Green Finance Corporation, a subsidiary of the national development bank, NLK) and two of Keymon's largest power generation companies, Entrion Wind and Solar and the OKW Energie. State Secretary Ries stated that negotiations were initiated under the previous caretaker administration when an assessment into the sustainability of the nation's continued usage of natural gas in power generation found that the state could potentially lose billions of dollars on aggregate as the demand for energy in the state increases with the size of the economy. The agreement notes that Entrion Wind and Solar will construct an offshore wind farm which is expected to generate around 850 megawatts of electricity, whilst OKW Energie will construct an onshore wind farm expected to generate 650 megawatts of electricity. Disclosures from the Green Finance Corporation revealed that both contracts (which form part of the wider agreement) were "build–operate–transfer" contracts meaning both Entrion Wind and Solar and OKW Energie will receive concessions (most likely granted by the Green Finance Corporation) to finance, design, construct, own, and operate the aforementioned windfarms for a duration of time to enable them to recover their investment and operating expenses. Once this period has elapsed, the wind farms will be transferred to the Keymonite Government where they [the wind farms] will most likely be managed by Natstroum. Experts note that there is great potential for Keymon to make aggressive moves to reduce the nation's dependence on fossil fuels (particularly natural gas) in power generation. In a brief press release, Minister-President Dr Franziska Giezendanner hailed the initiative of the aforementioned entities, particularly the Green Finance Corporation in advancing the nation's green economic agenda. She noted that although momentum on a national green economic agenda has not garnered much attention among cantons, the enthusiasm with which the National Land Credit Institute and its subsidiary the Green Finance Corporation moves towards ensuring the infrastructure is present for a national effort is certain to inspire other private companies and potentially the cantons themselves to join the national transition. State Secretary Ries has stated that the national government intends to reduce its dependence on natural gas by 50% in the coming quarter-century, noting that public-private partnerships similar to this venture with Entrion Wind and Solar and OKW Energie will become the standard and the means by which the nation goes about achieving such an ambitious goal. Construction on both projects is expected to begin next year, however, OKW Energie has noted that notwithstanding constraints related to the importation of much of the parts needed to construct the wind farms, constructions could begin in the next 2-3 years.

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Backed by funding and technical assistance from the Agricultural Finance Corporation (a subsidiary of the NLK Group), Lenzsoix-based agribusiness startup Ozeanfrüchte has announced its intention to construct the country's largest indoor vertical farm, with the intention of leading a revolution toward reducing Keymon's dependence on imported food. The $500 million KED facility, which is expected to begin construction in the coming months, is expected to grow numerous crops including lettuce, tomatoes and various microgreens initially, with the company expressing its hopes to expand into fruits and berries. According to the company's CEO Jean-Luc Boeres, the decision to construct the facility came amidst a programme within the Agricultural Finance Corporation which saw the agency partially fund initiatives aimed at enhancing Keymon's agribusiness sector. The Ozeanfrüchte was founded in 5255 by Jean-Luc Boeres, Marianne Probst and Deborah Bernhoeft after the trio completed their Bachelors in Agriculture at the University of Keymon. Boeres noted that the company had been created with the vision of "transforming the agribusiness sector of Keymon" as she lamented the "archaic" and "backwards" practices of established agribusiness firms. With technical assistance, specifically in the area of research from the University of Keymon, the company identified vertical farming as an area of interest, recognising that it had been a practice that although present in more advanced economies, was non-existent in the developing/emerging economies of Seleya. "We initially entered the LFG's financing programme with the intention of accessing financing for a mariculture project, however through various presentations from LFG and its partners in the Univeristy of Keymon (our alma marta) we were encouraged to pursue vertical farming instead as the LFG would provide more financing and support for a high-impact, yet cost-effective venture," Boeres explained. Currently, the company is in talks with local authorities as it works out the complex's water supply as well as addresses local concerns over the complex's electricity use. Although vertical farming is said to use less water, compared to other agriculture techniques, these complexes tend to be major energy consumers. To that extent, Boeres has stated that the company is looking to build its own microgrid whereby the complex will be self-sustaining as it relates to energy as much of its electricity would come from solar panels installed on the roof and throughout the various structures expected to be built in support of the complex including a rainwater harvesting system. Amidst Ozeanfrüchte's success, numerous other firms have lined up for funding and support from the LFG in pursuit of both making their mark on the agribusiness sector in Keymon and contributing to reducing the nation's food import bill.

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Keymonite technology company and semiconductor manufacturer Ruetsch-Huber announced earlier this morning of its intention to bring the majority of its production into Keymon under a new long-term plan to shift the company's strategic direction into servicing the needs of the world's more advanced economies and positioning itself as a major provider of high-quality, "digital instruments". At a press conference at the company's headquarters in Lenzsoix Wolfgang Helminger, the company's new CEO announced that the company would pour some 3 billion KED into the construction of a new semiconductor manufacturing facility for the company in pursuit of enhancing its production efforts to placing the company on a clear path for growth and greater competition on the global market. He noted that amidst the company's failed investments in nations such as Saridan and Tropica, the company had made the decision to focus on building up its domestic manufacturing base, stating that a focus on enhancing manufacturing in its home base should have come before an expensive and ultimately chaotic international expansion. According to Helminger, the proposed factory is expected to be situated in Lenzsoix and will be the first of many factories constructed in the city. Helminger said that Ruetsch-Huber was prepared to commit to a 10 billion KED, long-term plan to develop a massive chip manufacturing complex in Lenzsoix with more than 5 factories within said complex. "What we are doing here is securing our future on the international market. No other company is doing what we are doing, no other company has the plans we have for Keymon. We are saying "we see the efforts of the Government to build something special here and we would like to be part of that," Helminger said at an event hosted by Whitehall earlier this week. President of the Lenzsoix Canton Executive Council Frédéric Meyer stated that Ruetsch-Huber's decision to base the bulk of the company's future semiconductor production infrastructure in the canton was a major boon in confidence in the local economy and his administration's plans for the canton. At the Platzhaus event, Meyer stated that the company's proposed investment plan would aid in reducing unemployment in the canton, providing opportunities during the project's construction phase and providing thousands of jobs via Ruetsch-Huber's partnerships with local suppliers. Meyer noted that the facility and the proposed complex are within the vicinity of the University of Keymon, Lenzsoix campus which will provide the company with a steady stream of engineering and ICT graduates. CEO Helminger stated the company had intentions to build another facility in Osterstätten to take advantage of the canton's increasingly attractive tax credits and concessions aimed at attracting manufacturing companies. He confirmed that the company had entered into negotiations with the canton's executive council, with a meeting between company executives and the Osterstätten Canton Executive Council and the Department of Commerce and Industry. Helminger said that the company's ability to erect its factories throughout the country would be based on its ability to access financing and subsidies as it notes that these facilities are extremely expensive and thus the company, like many other semiconductor firms to company, will require considerable financial and technical assistance from the national government. Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications Dr Robin Rimensberger confirmed that the Industrial Finance Corporation (a subsidiary of Keymon's national development bank, NLK) was involved in the negotiations for Ruetsch-Huber to secure financing for its proposed facility. Construction on the first facility is expected to begin next year, as Helminger noted that the plant would be fully operational in three (3) years.

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Following months of negotiations between Theisen and Münberg-based defence firm Fuhrimann Systems, the two parties have come to an agreement on the arrangements behind the development and financing of the nation's first offshore aquaculture facility in a bid to begin the work necessary towards reducing Keymon's dependence on imported food and boosting Keymon's profile as a potential breadbasket for the Artanian continent. At the signing ceremony at Fuhrimann's headquarters in Münberg, Theisen founder and CEO Jacinto Theisen stated that the facility could introduce a major shift in how agriculture is done within the country. He noted that with the design and development elements coming from Fuhrimann Systems and financing coming from Agricultural Finance Corporation (a subsidiary of Keymon's national development bank, NLK) the facility had the potential to become the blueprint on which the company expands its portfolio. "This is the first major public-private sector to be undertaken by the company since its inception so it is a historic moment for us. We believe that through this model we can bring about numerous innovations in agriculture domestically with the hopes of achieving the company's founding mandate of providing avenues from which Keymon could become food independent," Theisen explained. According to Fuhrimann Systems, the facility addresses numerous concerns surrounding inshore aquaculture primarily those related to discarded nutrients from unconsumed feeds and faeces accumulating on the farm's seafloor and causing damage to the benthic ecosystem, by being able to be moved further offshore than conventional marine-based fish farming facilities. It noted that due to the greater distance with which the facility can operate further offshore, much of the systems related to the management of the fish, primarily monitoring their health and well-being have been largely automated via technological solutions developed by the firm. Fuhrimann Systems, although a company primarily involved in defence has an established history of developing technological solutions for a wide range of commercial disciplines. Most notably, the company has a long history of operation with the Keymonite Government on defence applications, as much of the firm's solutions have seen widespread use in the Keymon Defence Force (Verteidegungsmuecht). "Our involvement in this project is but an extension of our corporate social responsibility. It is our belief that we should be leveraging our advantages against the odds that our nation continues to face. The Department of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries has identified food imports as a major problem for the country. Thus we believe that we can aid in addressing these issues via the technological solutions we have applied throughout our company's history," Marilen Schmutz, President and CEO of Fuhrimann Systems said to reporters during the signing ceremony. Theisen stated that the facility will contain 15 of Fuhrimann Systems' automated offshore fish cages, and will primarily be used to develop a wide range of fish including salmon, trout and tuna. The facility is expected to cost around 300 million LOD, with Theisen indicating its intention to work with Fuhrimann Systems on constructing more facilities along the Lodamese coast. As a part of Theisen's own CSR, the company revealed that it had signed an MoU (memorandum of understanding) with the Department of Economic Affairs and Communications and the Department of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries to aid in repopulating the nation's fish population. Under the agreement, on an annual basis, Theisen will release some of its fish cages and allow for specific species of fish into the wider aquatic ecosystem to aid in rebuilding their numbers, in exchange for a tax credit on research and development in agriculture from the Agricultural Finance Corporation.

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Although it need not be stated, the Keymonite Air Force (Loftwaff) is one of the more important branches of the Keymon Defence Force (Verteidegungsmuecht). Being primarily responsible for aerospace defence and the management of the nation's military satellite technology, the Air Force's role in Keymon's national security environment is non-impeachable. Thus its calamitous state has come as a major surprise to defence planners and policymakers, as they argue that if the Keymonite Air Force was so important to the nation's security environment, why was it allowed to slip into a state of near-complete degradation? Although similar to the other branches in that its calamitous state can be easily chalked down to a lack of leadership within the service, the previous political administrations who oversaw the air force's demise must should a considerable amount of the blame as well. In its report on the state of the air force, the Department of National Defence found that under previous political administrations, the air force had been starved of funding, as any increase in the budgetary allocation for defence went to the Army with the Navy and Air Force fighting for the scraps. It posits that as a result of this lack of "strategic investment", the Air Force had to do away with much of its legacy projects including research and development for new technologies which would enable pilots to train in a near-realistic simulation as well as research and development into better armament for the air force's ageing fleet of fighters. Although in the other branches, namely the Navy, it can be argued that the notion of previous administrations funding their operations simply to keep the lights on could be a possible over-exaggeration, it seems that in the Air Force, it seems to be the literal case. The DoND report notes that the allocation for the air force was so small, that it could only cover the personnel salaries and maintenance of existing infrastructure (bases, barracks etc), leaving much of the Air Force's hardware in a state of disrepair. Alongside this, the belt-tightening enacted by the Air Force forced the service to reduce the number of pilots it would be able to train as the cost of placing these servicemen and women into simulations and enrolling them into foreign combat programmes became increasingly expensive. whereas when the air force was properly funded, it was able to train 500 pilots each year, given the current situation, the air force is only capable of training 50. This, alongside numerous pilots and other highly trained staff leaving the service for greener pastures primarily the private sector, has created a situation wherein the air force is not capable of maintaining its current fleet of aircraft and is struggling the maintain peak operations. The Defence Modernisation Programme (DMP) underscores the importance of the Keymonite Air Force to the future Verteidegungsmuecht as it notes that without the air force obtaining and maintaining control over its domain, the air, the operations of the other branches, particularly the Army and the Navy can be seriously hamstrung. It notes that the Air Force must enhance its readiness for potential near-peer competition in light of the DMP's vision for the Verteidegungsmuecht as a force capable of maintaining control over the Artanian Sea and into the Mad Dog and South Oceans. In order to achieve this, the DMP opines that the airforce must focus on the acquisition of better equipment, enhance the training and professional acumen of its troops and rebuild its technological prowess.

On equipment acquisition, Commander of the Air Force Divisional General Lionel Zuberbühler stated that amidst decades of mismanagement and a lack of maintenance, the majority of the Keymonite Air Force's legacy equipment had been mothballed, with much of the said equipment sitting in aeroplane graveyards across the country. Owing to the new procurement procedures introduced by the Department of National Defence, Div. Zuberbühler stated that the air force would have to be rebuilt from scratch. He noted that although there are some serviceable aircraft, notably earlier models of transport aircraft, the KAF's fleet of combat aircraft would have to be rebuilt completely. According to Zuberbühler, this provided the airforce with a unique opportunity to rebuild its fleet with an eye on multi-role capabilities. He explained that much of the airforce's legacy equipment where primarily fighters built for extremely specific missions. In noting the recommendations of the DMP on the airforce needing to be flexible and more agile than ever before, he stated that the future combatant aircraft of the Keymonite Air Force will be designed, built and/or procured with the following principles in mind: (1) multi-discipline (2) agility and (3) capability. Drifting slightly to focus on the airforce's logistics role, Zuberbühler stated that it was a top priority of his to rebuild the airforce's strategic mobility capabilities as he notes that without transporting aircraft to move equipment from point A to point B, without refuelling aircraft to extend the range of fighters and bombers, and without electronic warfare and AEW&C, the capacity of the Keymon Defence Force to reach into the waters surrounding the nation and to conduct operations with extreme efficiency would be seriously hindered. He stated that he had already approved a proposal to the DoND for the acquisition of new transport, refuelling and early warning aircraft. Speaking on enhancing the training and professional acumen of airforce service members, General Simpson stated that in the absence of proper training for its pilots and other technical staff, the airforce forfeits/abandons its core responsibility: aerospace defence. He noted that the airforce's pilot training programme would need a major overhaul and must focus on training pilots for future battles. Disciplines such as close air support (CAS), search and rescue (SAR), air superiority, suppression of enemy air defence (SEAD), tactical bombing and air interdiction would have to be taught to future airforce recruits. He highlighted the state of the airforce infrastructure, stating that the airforce would have to conduct a rolling review of the state of its bases, barracks, radar and other support infrastructure as he noted that the airforce cannot expect its staff to operate in relative squalor. Concluding on rebuilding the airforce's technological prowess, Zuberbühler stated that the airforce, as the branch responsible for maintaining the military's satellite infrastructure and other high-altitude military equipment, must commit to a long-term programme to overhaul its systems. He noted that a more concrete relationship between the Airforce and the private sector will be needed as the airforce marches towards becoming a technologically superior fighting force.

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Following numerous losses and a corruption scandal which has brought down the company's previous CEO and Chairman, Credit Klavia has appointed its commercial banking boss Claudine Welter as the company's new CEO and Chair. Welter's appointment, as aforementioned, comes following the corruption scandal against the bank's previous CEO and Chairman Michael Muller, who became the focus of an investigation by the Financial Regulatory Authority into suspicious financial transactions between the former CEO/Chairman and numerous third-party entities. Amidst the investigation, the company's board of directors terminated Muller's contract and rescinded his appointment as chairman. With the company "reconsidering its future steps", Welter's appointment as CEO and Chairman has been viewed by many within the financial world as a textbook glass cliff, which refers to a situation in which women are promoted to higher positions during times of crisis or duress, or during a recession when the chance of failure is more likely. Welter has been with the bank for more than 20 years, the most recent being the head of the company's commercial banking section. Although not an aggressive businessman like her predecessor, she is considered an expert administrator and a capable restructuring expert, as many of her ideas and decisions led to the revival of the company's commercial banking arm following a series of missteps which almost lead to the entire section's collapse. As a by-product of the investigation and Muller's subsequent firing, the bank observed a 20% drop in its shares. Following Welter's appointment forever, the bank's share recovered albeit in a minor way. The bank reported an 800 million KED loss during the previous quarter, a stark contrast from the 1 billion KED earned by the bank the quarter prior. In a statement, the bank chalked much of the previous quarter's losses to failed business ventures, particularly Muller's attempts to expand the bank's investment banking business into the greater Artanian region. "Our losses from the previous quarter are regrettable and disappointing and represent an old style of doing business, which is no longer practised by this firm and its subsidiaries. It is evident that as a result of these losses, there must be a dramatic improvement in the way in which we go about doing business within Keymon and the Seleyan and Artanian continents. As part of an attempt to turn around the firm, Welter has expressed her intention to overhaul/reform all sectors of the firm; from its commercial banking business to asset management. With the approval of the board of directors she now chairs, Welter formally initiated the bank's restructuring by appointing a new Chief of Commercial Banking in one Théodore Diederich, who had been Welter's deputy during her tenure in commercial banking. As part of the overall restructuring of the bank, there is expected to be a complete transformation of Fairisle's mode of doing business in commercial banking. Presently, the bank has fallen behind the international standard on digital/online banking, with work on the numerous applications vaunted by Welter during her time in the section being halted by Muller. Diederich has stated that once the UI and back-end upgrades to the apps have been completed, the company will roll out its digital/online banking system in full. Compared to other firms, the company has sought to bring cybersecurity in-house instead of lying on third-party contractors. Victor Da Silva, a former senior analyst in the Strategic Services Agency has been appointed as the bank's new Chief of Information Security. Welter justified the appointment by stating that the nature of financial transactions, particularly those which occur digitally, was extremely vulnerable to malicious attack. "By creating an entire section solely dedicated to ensuring our digital systems are safe, we are setting ourselves apart from competitors." one information security analyst said, speaking under a condition of anonymity. Welter has expressed her intention to expand the bank's operations into Dorvik, Luthori, Kundrati, Dundorf and Cildania stating that although the company's future is firmly planted in returning to its place as a global financial institution, much of its base will remain in Keymon.

[Robert F. Kennedy]

The Artanian Times, December 5296: Foreign Secretary to engage in a 'Northern Tour'