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Although I announced a large number of changes and appointments to the Riksråd last month, I am continuing to build an active and organized Cabinet with new decisions made about the Ministries of Defense and Information. It is important that we have an active Cabinet as we tackle the challenges of the winter decline and promote regional activity because the Cabinet is responsible for the day to day running of the region. It's the foundation that the region will either grow or decline on, and if the leaders in the Cabinet aren't active...why should anyone else be?

At this point, changes have been made in nearly every ministry, but I feel the changes are beginning to pay off. We're building one of the best Cabinets in our region's history, and that the current Cabinet be a strong and stable foundation for achieving everything our region can and should be.


Defense
With the removal of the previous Jarl of Defense, Denth Kasten, the future of the Hvitt Riddaral was not bright by any means. The ministry had been inactive for some time, the Hvitt Riddaral had shrunk and become stagnant, and there wasn't an obvious choice to replace him. However, in its time of need two people stood up and volunteered to take on the challenge of revitalizing our military: Chanku and Govindia. Both were given authority to lead, with the understanding that the person who best used the authority would be appointed as Jarl.

I feel that Chanku has emerged as that leader. During the past month in particular, Chanku has not only developed new and interesting ideas to improve the Hvitt Riddaral, he has done the work of implementing those ideas. He has successfully kept the balance of taking the initiative and leading the ministry while also keeping me informed of his plans and seeking my input, a balance that has not come easy to previous Jarls. He has kept up communication with the leaders of joint operations to stay in the loop about them, as well as coordinated with other Jarls to improve the visibility and standing of the Hvitt Riddaral. Chanku has been a member of this region for a long time, and it has been wonderful watching him realize his potential in this assignment. His work has been excellent, and I feel comfortable appointing him as our next Jarl of Defense.

As my final act as the person directly in charge of the Ministry of Defense, I also promote Govindia from Menig to Korporal, in appreciation of his service to the Hvitt Riddaral and the region in its time of need and in recognition of  the accomplishments he made in the process, including the establishment of a liaison agreement with the Renegade Islands Alliance. While he may not have received the appointment, I know that our region will never fail so long as it has people like him willing to stand up for it in times of need.


Information
As nobody has expressed an interest in leading the Ministry of Information, I have opted to dissolve the ministry. It has always been a difficult ministry to fill and never expanded beyond putting together our foreign dispatch in spite of its much broader mandate that included regional announcements, guides, and news. Ministries will now be responsible for creating their own dispatches, guides, and announcements for the areas covered by their portfolios.


With Chanku's appointment and the dissolution of the Ministry of Information, every ministry now has a Jarl that is dedicated to the ministry...even I'm dedicated to foreign affairs, an area I've come to enjoy working with. We are now set to grow Wintreath and aim to achieve everything we want to be. I will be discussing our current situation and plans during a State of the Region address after the Underhusen elections, but until then, know that I honestly believe that thanks to this Cabinet and everyone else that has stood by our region, the winter decline is coming to an end and it will be springtime in Wintreath soon.