Hegseth renames Joint Base Charleston in honor of Sen. Lindsey Graham

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Joint Base Charleston was officially redesignated Joint Base Lindsey Graham on Aug. 10 during a ceremony honoring the late U.S. senator, Air Force veteran and South Carolina native. The 32-square-mile installation houses the 437th Airlift Wing, which provides global airlift with the C-17A Globemaster III.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth joined South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and Sen. Darline Graham for the dedication. “Sen. Lindsey Graham dedicated his life to serving this state and serving the armed forces of the United States,” Hegseth said. “He served this nation both in uniform and in both houses of Congress. … But in both capacities, it was always the same mission. He knew the timeless truth that to ensure peace, we must be prepared for war. 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.”

Graham, who died July 11, served in the U.S. Senate from 2003 and earlier represented South Carolina’s 2nd District in the U.S. House after time in the state legislature. His military career included service as an Air Force Judge Advocate General, on active duty from 1982 to 1988, in the South Carolina Air National Guard until 1995, and in the Air Force Reserve until 2015.

Hegseth recalled first meeting Graham as a young Army first lieutenant after returning from Iraq as part of the “Vets for Freedom” group. “[We] believed in the surge in Iraq and advocating for the troops on the ground,” he said. “We were a young, scrappy veterans’ organization with no money and no access and connections.” He added that Graham alone agreed to meet them. “He welcomed us into his conference room, sat us down as a bunch of lieutenants and [noncommissioned officers] and others around the table — fresh back from Iraq — who wanted the right strategy,” Hegseth said. “He said, ‘Gentlemen, welcome to a place where you can still say the word victory.’ He believed in mission success; he believed in the troops; he believed in giving the troops everything they needed.”

Hegseth also described Graham’s habit of seeking ground truth from service members in combat zones. “I had mentioned that we … could give him an update on what the Taliban was up to,” he said. “Sure enough, during his reserve duty, there he was — jet-lagged as all hell — because that man had a schedule like nobody else. But he was there to hear from us because he wanted his ear to the ground from the troops on what was actually happening in the war in Afghanistan.”

Weeks before Graham’s passing, the two discussed the War Department’s budget request, which Hegseth said totals $1.5 trillion, including a $1.15 trillion base budget and $350 billion sought through reconciliation. “[He asked], ‘Mr. Secretary, what do you need for reconciliation?’” Hegseth said. “He looked at me and said, ‘How’s $355 billion sound to you?’” Hegseth said. “He wanted to give even more than $350 [billion]. He wanted to ensure our military was as equipped as humanly possible, because he was thinking of places like this one right here.” He added, “I saw firsthand as a young first lieutenant, as a captain in a combat zone and as a secretary, the unwavering commitment of Lindsey Graham,” Hegseth said. “He knew that if you’re going to seek peace, you have to be prepared for war. You have to have a prepared military. He talked the talk, and he walked the walk.”

Darline Graham, who succeeded her brother in the Senate, said the renaming reflects his devotion to service. “What an honor for my brother, and what a tribute to his 33 years of service,” Graham said. “Lindsey loved the Air Force. He loved its mission. He loved wearing the uniform of his country. His interest in foreign affairs and national security started with his service in the Air Force.” She added, “It was sometimes hard to tell if Lindsey was a senator who happened to serve in the Air Force or an Air Force lawyer who happened to serve in the Senate,” his sister said. “Such was his love for both. That’s the man this base is named after — a man who loved his country, loved his state and loved the United States Air Force. I could not be more honored or humbled for him to be recognized in such a fashion for his lifetime of service.”

Following the ceremony, Hegseth met airmen from the 437th Airlift Wing and other personnel involved in Operation Epic Fury, and emphasized the centrality of logistics to U.S. power projection and modernization. “Look at what the 437th is doing as the premier maneuver force for the C-17A modernization: leading operational testing for things like palletized munitions, drastically increasing our airborne munitions capacity in future conflicts,” he said. “I’ve been watching. I read the reports of how you iterate, do things faster in congested logistics. It’s incredible, the backbone of what you have enabled in the theater.”

“The secret sauce of any successful mission — whether it’s Epic Fury, Southern Spear, Midnight Hammer, Absolute Resolve, Hawkeye Strike, you name it — are the logistics behind it,” he said. “That’s the genius of the United States military.” Praising the nation’s strategic lift and mobility enterprise, he added: “No one else can touch it, not even close,” Hegseth said, adding that, “All of it is enabled by all of you, incredible Americans at the top of your game, at the prime of your life. … I consider all of you the real 1%, the real elite who give absolutely everything.”