Joint Base Charleston

Joint Base Charleston is a United States military facility located in North Charleston and Goose Creek, South Carolina. The installation originated as Charleston Air Force Base in 1942 and was reorganized as a joint base on October 1, 2010, following the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommendations. This transition merged the former Charleston Air Force Base with Naval Support Activity Charleston.

The facility is operated by the United States Air Force under Air Mobility Command. The 628th Air Base Wing serves as the host unit, providing installation support for military commands and federal agencies. The 437th Airlift Wing and the 315th Airlift Wing, an Air Force Reserve Command associate unit, operate squadrons of C-17 Globemaster III aircraft. The primary mission involves global strategic airlift of troops, equipment, and aeromedical supplies. Other stationed units include the 1st and 4th Combat Camera Squadrons, the Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic, and the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command.

The base encompasses over 20,877 acres, divided between an airfield, the Naval Weapons Station, and a multi-use Federal Complex. The airfield is a joint civil-military facility sharing runways with Charleston International Airport. Infrastructure at the Naval Weapons Station includes 269 ammunition magazines and facilities for the Naval Consolidated Brig. The site serves as a maritime training center, hosting moored training nuclear submarines, including the USS Daniel Webster and USS Sam Rayburn. The Federal Complex provides pier space and home port facilities for Ready Reserve Force roll-on/roll-off ships, Coast Guard National Security Cutters, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research vessels. The complex also houses the Maritime Law Enforcement Academy and the Army’s 841st Transportation Battalion, which utilizes the site as a logistics hub for surface distribution.