The Pentagon is taking steps to rename Joint Base Charleston after the late Senator Lindsey Graham, honoring the South Carolina Republican and decorated Air Force veteran for a lifetime of military and public service.
Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink directed officials on July 27 to begin the renaming process, with the installation set to be called “Joint Base Lindsey Graham.” The directive came through an internal memo first obtained by The Post and Courier.
Meink instructed Air Mobility Command and Joint Base Charleston leadership to take “all necessary and appropriate actions” to carry out the change. The memo praises Graham for his “decades of distinguished service to the United States Congress and the United States Air Force.”
As originally reported, Meink wrote that Graham’s “lifelong devotion to the military was shaped by his own military service and his public service in both the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives,” adding that his advocacy was “instrumental in modernizing our military infrastructure and enhancing aviation security.”
Graham spent years championing the Charleston-area base, which was formed in 2010 when the Defense Department consolidated several North Charleston military facilities. Over his congressional career, he helped direct hundreds of millions of federal dollars to the installation and played a central role in bringing Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner production to South Carolina, helping convince the aerospace giant to expand beyond its unionized operations in Washington state.
Just months before his death, Graham scored another major win for the base. In May, he announced $212 million to strengthen Coast Guard readiness at Joint Base Charleston, funding earmarked for improved pier infrastructure and new medical and dental facilities. “It is imperative this base has the necessary tools to protect South Carolina’s coastline and prevent deadly drugs, such as fentanyl, from reaching our shores,” Graham said at the time.
Long before his time in Congress, Graham built a substantial military career. After graduating from law school, he served 33 years in the Air Force and Air National Guard. His first six years were on active duty during the 1980s, including four years as lead prosecutor for the Air Force’s felony case division at Rhein-Main Air Base in Germany.
He later transferred to the South Carolina Air National Guard in 1989, serving as a military attorney at McEntire Air National Guard Base during the Gulf War. Even while serving in Congress, Graham deployed twice to the Middle East, earning recognition from retired General David Petraeus, who commanded U.S. forces in the region.
The renaming stands as a fitting tribute to a man who dedicated much of his life to both the uniform and the institution that now bears his name.