'Hunt' Hardisty, Pacific Command chief, dead at 74
By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer
Adm. Huntington "Hunt" Hardisty, who served as head of U.S. Pacific Command in the late 1980s and early 1990s, a time of tremendous change in the balance of power worldwide, died Oct. 1 in Hartford, Conn. He was 74.
Advertiser library photo • 1989
At a time when the Soviet Union was crumbling, and Pentagon budgets were shrinking, Hardisty had a forward-looking view of Asia and the Pacific.
Adm. Huntington "Hunt" Hardisty was a carrier pilot during the Vietnam War.
"We recognize the changes in the world," Hardisty said in 1990. "But perceptions are critical. We must ensure that we make no adjustments in our posture that would weaken the confidence of our friends in the area and draw into question our resolve to remain a power in Asia."
The 14th commander of Pacific Command, Hardisty served in the post from September of 1988 until March of 1991. He was involved in negotiations for Philippine bases and was part of the United States-led coalition victory in the first Gulf War.
A Naval Academy graduate, Hardisty set a low-level speed record of 900 miles per hour flying 300 feet off the ground in a F-4B Phantom II in 1961. The jet is in the Smithsonian collection.
Hardisty, a carrier pilot during the Vietnam War, went on to become director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff and vice chief of naval operations.
Hardisty joined Kaman Aerospace in Connecticut in 1991 after retiring from active duty. He was a resident of Connecticut and Florida.
