Richard A. Nelson (born April 4, 1941) is a former vice admiral in the United States Navy.

[1] Nelson entered the Navy in 1967 and spent a short time at Naval Hospital, Corpus Christi, Texas, then served as senior medical officer at the Naval Ammunition Depot, McAlester, Oklahoma.

After an assignment with the Navy Environmental Health Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, he returned to Bremerton as the Director of Occupational and Environmental Health Services and Fleet Liaison Team coordinator for the Naval Regional Medical Center.

His other assignments include commanding officer of the Navy Environmental Health Center in Norfolk; Director, Occupational Health and Preventive Medicine Division, and the Deputy Commander for Fleet Readiness and Support at the Naval Medical Command in Washington, DC; and Director of the Health Care Review Division for the Naval Inspector General in Washington, DC.

While assigned as Commander, Naval Medical Center, San Diego, California from 1993–98, Nelson also was the Lead Agent of TRICARE Region Nine.