Arthur W. Radford (1896–1973) was a U.S. Navy admiral and naval aviator. In over 40 years of military service, he held a variety of posts including Vice Chief of Naval Operations, commander of the Pacific Fleet and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Radford's first sea duty was aboard the battleship USS South Carolina during World War I. In the first years of World War II, he was the architect of the navy's aviator training programs. In its final years he commanded aircraft carrier divisions through several campaigns of the Pacific War. Noted as a strong-willed and aggressive leader, Radford was a central figure in the post-war debates on U.S. military policy, and was a staunch proponent of naval aviation. He defended the Navy's interests in an era of shrinking defense budgets during the 1949 " Revolt of the Admirals", a contentious public fight over policy. As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, he advocated a strong nuclear deterrent in support of the New Look policy of President Dwight Eisenhower. He retired from the military in 1957. He was the namesake of the Spruance-class destroyer USS Arthur W. Radford. ( Full article...)

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