 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 . " 
