George Scratchley Brown - Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff and Later Life

Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff and Later Life

On the recommendation of the Secretary of the Air Force, Robert Seamans, President Richard Nixon appointed Brown to be Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, effective 1 August 1973. When the Arab-Israeli War of 1973 broke out in October 1973, Brown realized that the Israeli Air Force would quickly run short of consumables like bombs and ammunition. Without waiting for approval from the Secretary of Defense, he ordered two squadrons of F-4 Phantoms with Electronic Counter Measures capability be delivered to Israel, along with 100,000 tons of bombs and ammunition. Keegan believed that without Brown, "the supplies would never have reached Israel."

However, he did not remain Chief of Staff for long. He was appointed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff effective 1 July 1974. As Chairman, Brown was responsible for the handling of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, and the Mayaguez incident, the final act of the war in Vietnam in 1975. He also dealt with the 1976 shootings and Axe Murder Incident in the Korean Demilitarized Zone, and oversaw the Panama Canal Treaty in 1977.

During his term as Chairman, Brown commented on two occasions – firstly to a Duke University audience in October 1974, and then to a French reporter in 1976 – that Israel was becoming a burden to The Pentagon and that he believed the reason for continual military aid was due to Jews having control over America's banks, newspapers and elected officials. His exact words were:

It's so strong you wouldn't believe now. We have the Israelis coming to us for equipment. We say we can't possibly get the Congress to support that. They say, 'Don't worry about the Congress. We will take care of the Congress.' Now this is somebody from another country, but they can do it. They own, you know, the banks in this country, the newspapers. Just look at where the Jewish money is.

Brown's comments at Duke and subsequent reprimand by President Gerald Ford were reported on the front page of The Washington Post on 13 and 14 November 1974. There was speculation that Brown would be asked to resign, or at least not be nominated for a second two year term; but he was renominated and went on to serve under the new president, Jimmy Carter.

Brown was known for the directness of his speech, which sometimes offended those around him. Asked to comment in an interview for Newsweek on his opinion of the British Armed Forces, Brown replied, "They're no longer a world power. All they've got are generals, admirals and bands." Reaction in Britain was mixed. Some, like Lord Allenby condemned Brown's remarks, while others, like Lord Monckton acknowledged the truth of the remarks. Brown also said that Israel was a "burden" to the United States, and predicted that Iran would become an important military power in the Middle East.

Brown was diagnosed with prostate cancer and retired due to ill health on 21 June 1978. He died at the Malcolm Grow Air Force Hospital at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, on 5 December 1978, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, not far from Creighton Abrams. He was survived by his wife and three children.