Air Force Secretary Troy Meink signed a memo on Monday initiating the steps to rename Joint Base Charleston after Air Force veteran and late Sen. Lindsey Graham, an Air Force official confirmed.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, could not provide additional information beyond what is being reported.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X Tuesday that the base will be renamed for Graham. Leavitt did not provide additional information in her post. She linked to a story from The Post and Courier, based in Charleston, S.C., which cited an internal Air Force memo it received.
In the memo, dated July 27, Meink ordered staff to begin work with Air Mobility Command and Joint Base Charleston leadership to take “all necessary and appropriate actions” to begin converting the name of the East Coast air base to Joint Base Lindsey Graham.
“Senator 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,” Meink wrote. “His steadfast advocacy was instrumental in modernizing our military infrastructure and enhancing aviation security, ensuring that Joint Base Charleston remains as one of America’s premier military installations.”
The Pentagon referred questions to the Air Force.
World officials and U.S. politicians gathered in Washington on Tuesday for services to mourn Graham, who died on July 11, just two days after turning 71.
Graham’s memorials began at the U.S. Capitol. His remains were carried into the U.S. Capitol by an Armed Forces Body Bearer Team in tribute to his three decades of service in the Air Force. A funeral service followed in the afternoon at the Washington National Cathedral.
Graham, who spent more than three decades representing South Carolina in both congressional chambers, was a leading Republican Party voice for a more active U.S. role in global affairs, often backing the use of the military overseas.
A native South Carolinian, Graham served for 33 years in the Air Force and Air Force Reserve, including active-duty service in Germany as an Air Force lawyer, according to a biography on his office’s website. He retired from the Air Force Reserve in 2015 as a colonel.
Graham was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1994 and to the Senate in 2002. He was reelected in 2008, 2014 and 2020.
Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., voiced his support for the renaming in a social media post.
“Lindsey Graham has devoted his life to serving our nation,” McCormick, an Army veteran, wrote on X. “Renaming Joint Base Charleston in his honor is a fitting tribute to his patriotism, his service, and his unwavering support for America’s military.”
At least one fellow politician pushed back on the announcement, as South Carolina state Sen. Ed Sutton, D-Charleston, called for a pause.
“Senator Graham was a major asset to South Carolina’s military community, but renaming Joint Base Charleston this fast feels like another rushed decision with no local input,” Sutton said in a post on X. “Charleston Air Force Base has carried that name since the 1940s. Honor him, yes. Erase local tradition by fiat, no.”
Joint Base Charleston receives installation support from the Air Force’s 628th Air Base Wing and hosts more than 60 Defense Department and federal agencies, according to the base’s biography.
It is widely known as the site of the nation’s largest fleet of C-17 cargo jets. It is home to two primary flying units, the active duty 437th Airlift Wing and the Air Force Reserve’s 315th Airlift Wing.