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Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz
Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz
10th Chief of Naval Operations; 15 December 1945 – 15 December 1947
The end of World War II and the advent of the atomic bomb brought a period of re-evaluation and restructuring to the military services, which many Navy leaders feared would result in the dismemberment of the Navy. Nimitz, a highly respected leader in the war, staunchly upheld the Navy’s role in the newly created Department of Defense.