Kurt and Rich sit down with former Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Admiral John Richardson on this Tea Leaves episode. Admiral Richardson shares what it was like being CNO, his thoughts on military discipline and learning from mistakes, and the state of the Navy today. The three also discuss the Pentagon’s reaction to recent events in the Middle East and in Iran, as well as how the United States’ naval capabilities compare with China’s.
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Han Lin in Channel News Asia on China’s currency strategy: ‘Beijing sees currency power as a national-security issue’
February 11, 2026
Media Mentions
“As more countries adopt the yuan for investment and capital-raising, Beijing gains the ability to direct capital toward its strategic ...
Kurt Tong on Channel News Asia discussing Takaichi’s landslide win in Sunday’s lower house election
February 9, 2026
Media Mentions
Japanese voters have handed Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi a powerful mandate, delivering her ruling coalition a crushing victory in Sunday’s ...
Rintaro Nishimura in CNN on Japan’s snap election: ‘From their perspective, the LDP had become too moderate under the last two prime ministers’
February 6, 2026
Media Mentions
“From their perspective, the LDP had become too moderate under the last two prime ministers,” said Rintaro Nishimura, a Tokyo-based ...
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