Whose vision of an independent air force was ridiculed in the 1920s?

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The idea being tested is understanding the early push for an independent air force and how it was received in the 1920s. Billy Mitchell argued that air power should operate as its own striking arm, not just as a support role for ground or naval forces, and that it would be decisive in future warfare. He backed this up with demonstrations showing aircraft could threaten and sink ships, challenging the belief that naval and ground forces alone would decide wars. Because the general staff and Navy viewed air power mainly as a complement to their own services, Mitchell’s outspoken advocacy and public criticisms were seen as audacious and disruptive, leading to his court-martial in 1925. His stance is why his vision is the one associated with being ridiculed at the time. While Lindbergh, MacArthur, and Hap Arnold were important figures in aviation and the military, none faced the same public ridicule for independence in that era as Mitchell did.