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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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 ...
David Boling and Akihiro Tsuchiya with 9fin’s Richard Macauley in webinar: What to expect from Japan’s snap election
February 5, 2026
Media Mentions
9fin’s Asia editor Richard Macauley was joined by Akihiro Tsuchiya, senior advisor at The Asia Group and former senior MOF official (Japan), ...
Geopolitics and Business in 2026 – Five Trends from TAG’s GeoCommercial Strategy Survey