Admiral Elmo Russell Zumwalt, Jr. was the youngest officer promoted to Rear Admiral and the youngest four-star Admiral in the United States history to become Chief of Naval Operations. Zumwalt initiated wide-ranging reforms in a dramatic effort to revitalize the Navy. His famous “Z-grams” modernized the Navy and made Navy careers much more attractive. Time hailed him as “The Navy’s most popular leader since World War II.” As the Navy’s senior officer, he increased the dwindling United States fleet by outfitting remaining ships with more sophisticated and efficient weapons.