I appreciate setting aside intentional time to connect and disconnect. Seeing friends invites mindfulness, as does 茶道 (Chado /The Way of Tea), which I enjoyed prior to a University of Illinois spring football game. Having time to clear your mind is what I need for great ideas to emerge.
Ryan McLean and Robert Herman, MRICS are both dedicated fathers who bring their family values into their leadership roles, helping inspire their teams to rise to the occasion.
I'm proud of Ryan for curating a community of committed product champions via TAK Product Center who are willing to grind on topics that might cause the average person to give up - instead they help overcome bureaucratic nightmares while encouraging each other to rise to the occasion. Nearly a million end users (plus the people they serve) are better off because of it; America now has a superior open source Geospatial C2 platform that China imitates weakly.
Robert has worked diligently to develop technology to capture digital forms of the world around us while empowering our military to retain ownership of its data. I believe his technology will transform how we help preposition items for contested logistics in the future - while benefitting the TAK ecosystem.
Alex Gorsuch spoke about focusing on one thing and doing it really well, which reminds me of my favorite lesson I learned in the Marine Corps - Use Both Hands! (That's a story about field days for another time...) Alex's team is arguably the best in the world at handling indoor positioning for first responders.
I love hearing what these guys have to say because their wisdom and experience shifts how I perceive the world, and gets me excited about delivering new capabilities to improve resilience and logistics in INDOPACOM.
Fast forward a bit; Prof. Kimiko Gunji hosted me for a Chado tatami tea ceremony, where I learned how matcha, originally from China, was brought to Japan by Zen monks.
Grinding tea leaves into powder and whipping it in hot water began during China's Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD).
Chado evolved into a powerful cultural ritual emphasizing harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility—values resonating with US strategic missions.
Chado embodies soft power in cultural diplomacy. By reflecting on China’s soft power initiatives, like Belt and Road, we may craft our own soft power efforts in Asia and beyond.
Just as matcha was adapted and refined through centuries of practice, we must adapt defense strategies to meet modern challenges.
Rich history reminds us how important cultural understanding and adaptation is – essential qualities to help navigate complexities of protecting Taiwan.
Chado emphasizes mindfulness, patience, and meticulous planning; instructive principles for defense industry readiness, especially in regions where quick victories are unlikely and sustained engagement is necessary.
Cheers to insightful gatherings of the minds- and to pushing boundaries of what we can achieve while reflecting on culture.