Hoyt S. Vandenberg

Hoyt Sanford Vandenberg (January 24, 1899 – April 2, 1954) was an American Air Force general who served as the second Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force from 1948 to 1953. A Milwaukee native, he graduated from West Point in 1923, earned his pilot wings in 1924, and rose through aviation roles in WWII, commanding air operations in North Africa and Europe, earning the Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, and Distinguished Flying Cross. In July 1945, he became the second Director of Central Intelligence Group (DCIG), predecessor to the CIA, serving briefly until mid-1946 amid UFO sighting reports. As Air Force Chief during Project Sign's initiation (1947) and transition to Project Grudge (1949), his tenure overlapped early military UFO investigations, though no direct publications or testimony from him on UAP exist. He died in 1954.