Joint Base Charleston in South Carolina was officially renamed Joint Base Lindsey Graham on Monday in a formal ceremony honoring the late senator who served 33 years in the Air Force and Air Force Reserve. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Senator Darlene Graham (R-S.C.), and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster attended the renaming of the North Charleston facility, which supports more than 60 Pentagon and federal agencies.
Graham, who died July 11 from an aortic dissection, joined the Air Force in 1982 after law school and served six and a half years on active duty as a Judge Advocate General (JAG) officer, including four years as lead prosecutor at Rhein-Main Air Base in Germany. He later transferred to the South Carolina Air National Guard in 1989 and served as a prosecutor at McEntire Air National Guard Base during the first Gulf War before joining the Air Force Reserve in 1995, where he remained until retiring in 2015.
During his remarks, Hegseth praised Graham’s military mindset, saying: “Protect your people, protect your state, protect your sovereignty, or you will lose it to someone else who is willing to take it from you.” The Pentagon chief also noted that Graham had advocated strongly for a record $1.5 trillion defense budget in his final years in Congress.
Treasury Secretary Bessent, a South Carolina native, emphasized Graham’s rise from Central, South Carolina to the Senate. “His was a distinctly American ascent from Central, South Carolina to the pinnacle of the United States Senate,” Bessent said. He also highlighted the base’s strategic importance, noting that Joint Base Graham serves as the backbone of the Air Force’s C-17 cargo fleet, which he called “the workhorse of our air defense.”
The base is home to the 437th Airlift Wing and the Air Force Reserve’s 315 Airlift Wing, both of which operate the C-17 cargo aircraft. Graham had been a major advocate for the Charleston facility throughout his congressional career, particularly for its role in global military operations and airland delivery of equipment and supplies.
Graham’s 33-year military career spanned active duty, the Air National Guard, and the reserve components, during which he deployed twice to the Middle East. His congressional service included eight years in the House and 23 years as South Carolina’s senator. The renaming reflects both his military service and his decades of advocacy for the defense establishment.
Sources
- The Hill — Pentagon renaming ceremony details, Hegseth and Bessent remarks, base operations and Graham’s military background
- U.S. Department of the Treasury — Secretary Bessent’s full remarks at the renaming ceremony
- Military Times — Graham’s Air Force service record and career timeline
- C-SPAN — Live ceremony coverage and official event documentation
