The nominees include former armed services, defense and political officials. When confirmed by the Senate, the commission will be tasked with evaluating the bases listed in Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's base realignment and closure list, which is scheduled to be forwarded to the commission by May 16.
Earlier this month, Bush nominated Anthony Principi, former secretary of the Department of Veteran Affairs, to chair the commission.
In addition to Principi, the nominees are former Rep. James Bilbray, D-Nev.; Clinton administration Assistant Defense Secretary Philip Coyle; retired Adm. Harold Gehman Jr.; former Rep. James Hansen, R-Utah; retired Army Gens. James Hill and Claude Kicklighter; George H.W. Bush administration Transportation Secretary Samuel Skinner of Illinois; and retired Air Force Gen. Sue Ellen Turner of Texas.
Although no South Carolina natives were nominated to sit on the commission, state officials and members of the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce's Military Enhancement Committee, a group established to protect Beaufort's bases, said Tuesday that they're generally pleased with the recommendations.
"We would've liked to have seen someone with closer South Carolina ties on the panel," said retired Marine Col. John Payne, chairman of the county military committee.
But, he said, the nominated commissioners have diverse backgrounds and skills that should prove beneficial during the decision-making process.
"They seem pretty well-qualified," Payne said. "By and large, we're very pleased with the group."
With Beaufort County home to Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, Naval Hospital Beaufort and Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, local and state officials are keeping a close eye on BRAC 2005, expected to affect up to 25 percent of the nation's military installations and be the biggest round of base closings since World War II.
Wesley Denton, a spokesman for Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., said the senator doesn't think a lack of commissioners from the Palmetto State will bode negatively for South Carolina's bases.
"Our case is strong enough to be made to anyone," Denton said. "The senator is still extremely confident that we can successfully promote the bases and be in line for an expansion."
The commission will review the recommendations and forward them to the president by Sept. 8. The president will have until Sept. 23 to accept or reject the recommendations.
If accepted, Congress will have 45 legislative days to reject the recommendations in their entirety or they will become binding, according to the Department of Defense.
At least two commissioners must visit every base on Rumsfeld's list during the commission's review, said retired Army Gen. Jim Shufelt, a volunteer with the Military Enhancement Committee who serves on the executive committee of the governor's base task force.
In the past it took five commissioners to get a base off the Pentagon's proposed closing list. This time it takes seven.
"Things like that really insulate the process from politics, more than it has in the past," Payne said.
Shufelt said the people on the list are well-rounded and should conduct their review in an unbiased fashion.
"Their job is to review and validate that list for the president," he said. "If you're not on the list and they want to visit you, the odds are you are a candidate to go on the list based on their evaluation. It's a lot of authority and an important task."
Shufelt and Payne both said they're confident that the capabilities of the three Beaufort installations would spare them from the defense secretary's closure list.
"These bases can stand on their own two feet. They have very important roles in the Department of Defense and they do their missions well," Shufelt said. "We don't see a clinker in the whole pile."