(Charleston-AP) March 14, 2005 - Governor Mark Sanford and other state officials went to Washington on Monday to defend South Carolina's military bases as a new round of base closings approaches.

Gubernatorial spokesman Will Folks says the delegation met Monday with Pentagon officials representing the Army, Navy and Air Force. Folks says the group will stress the state's military facilities can take on additional tasks rather than close.

Sanford defends SC's bases, "Whether in Afghanistan, Iraq or any part of the world where they are called to service, this state's military installations are a key component not just to our current military obligations, but to our long-term national defense efforts as a whole."

In 2003, Gov. Sanford created the South Carolina Military Base Task Force and the Governor's Military Base Advisory Committee to help coordinate state strategy related to BRAC. Since that time, at the recommendation of those defense groups, hundreds of thousands of dollars have been provided to South Carolina municipalities that are home to military installations.

President Bush will submit a list of candidates for the new Base Realignment and Closure Commission on Tuesday. The commission will have a key role in deciding which of the roughly 425 domestic military bases should be closed, expanded or restructured.

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld will submit his base closure recommendations in May.

Updated 9:55pm by BrettWitt