COLUMBIA--The state kicked in $200,000 Wednesday -- half the possible contribution discussed earlier this year -- to help persuade the Pentagon to spare South Carolina's military bases during the next round of base closures.

Gov. Mark Sanford, underscoring the importance to the national defense of installations such as the Charleston and Shaw Air Force bases, Fort Jackson and the Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort, said the money was a worthwhile investment for "what is essentially a $4 billion industry in this state."

"What these checks are all about is a team effort of the state government working with local municipalities working to let the U.S. government know about the role South Carolina plays in our military," Sanford said.

In March, Sanford told a military audience outside Columbia that "I think we could come up with $200,000 to $400,000 out of a $5 billion (annual) budget if necessary." With the state facing its worst budgetary year in decades, the smaller figure is hardly surprising.

Checks for $50,000 each went to Charleston County, Columbia, Beaufort and Sumter. "Part of economic development is keeping what you have," said Beaufort Mayor Bill Rauch, who is also the governor's brother-in-law.

In Hanahan, retired Air Force Maj. Gen. James Gardner said the money will help communities around the state keep their military bases off the next BRAC list, scheduled for release in 2005.

BRAC is Pentagon slang for Base Realignment and Closure. Gardner heads an advisory committee that Sanford appointed in March to find ways to protect the state's bases. "We're trying to save all the bases," Gardner said, "but if it gets down to pitting one base against another, it could be a bear."

Gardner is also co-chairman, with Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom, of a task force made up of mayors, legislators and community leaders in areas that have the bases. Eckstrom said the only string attached to the money is that it must be spent purely on efforts to promote the bases to the Pentagon.

Eckstrom said the money will likely go toward ongoing efforts in various communities and not to lobbyists. Lobbying for the bases, Eckstrom said, is already being done by retired military officials in the state's advisory committee and other leaders on the task force.

Steve Bedard, chief financial officer for the city of Charleston who was standing in for Mayor Joe Riley, said the money given to local governments will probably be used for the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce's ongoing efforts to keep the Lowcountry from losing another base. The Charleston Naval Base closed in 1993.

Charleston's Metro Chamber spokeswoman Mandy Denaux said the money will probably be spent on consultants who will help with the effort to retain the bases.

The state lost two major bases in previous BRACs -- Myrtle Beach Air Force Base in the 1991 round and the Charleston Naval Base and shipyard two years later. The shipyard was the state's largest industrial employer when it was ordered to close.