COLUMBIA--Some South Carolina lawmakers are moving to protect the state's military bases and fend off suggestions the sites could be shuttered or reduced in size.

House Speaker David Wilkins, R-Greenville, appointed a six-member panel Wednesday to study the matter and recommend "any actions that might be taken by the House of Representatives or the state to protect state military bases," according to a statement issued by his office.

"Federal dollars are terribly important to the state's economy," said Rep. James Smith, D-Columbia, one of the six House members appointed to the group. "We have to be prepared to make the case for South Carolina."

South Carolina was hit hard in the past two rounds of base closures. Myrtle Beach Air Force Base closed in 1993 at a cost of 3,900 military and civilian jobs; Charles-ton Naval Base was shut down in 1996, affecting 30,000 military and civilian jobs.

A new round of base closures is expected in 2005.

The state effort comes on top of two Charleston-area efforts to keep local bases off any Pentagon closure list.

The newly formed Charleston Defense Contractors Association is headed by retired Navy Capt. Jim Hoffman, a senior systems engineer at Hanahan-based Eagan McAllister Inc.

The Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce has a defense issues task force, led by retired Brig. Gen. Tom Mikolajcik, a former wing commander at Charleston Air Force Base. The task force has kept in touch with congressional leaders, state legislators, military brass and other key decision makers.

The stakes are big.

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has argued that at least one-quarter of the nation's 425 bases should be cut or sharply reduced in size.

The state's newest GOP senator, Lindsey Graham, says he has met in recent weeks with Rumsfeld at the Pentagon and understands the argument that the military must cut back and save money. That means all the nation's military bases will have to come under scrutiny in the upcoming round of base closures, including those in South Carolina.

"The idea you can't look at our bases is unacceptable," Graham said in a telephone interview from his office in Washington.

Graham, named to the Senate Armed Services and Veterans Affairs committees, said he knows his stance is difficult for some to understand.

"Is it politically popular? No. But I think it is necessary," he said. "If you are going to run the Pentagon like a business, you must have a good property management philosophy."

Graham said, however, that since South Carolina has had two major bases closed in recent years, major reductions are unlikely for the state.

"The infrastructure left in South Carolina is on a pretty solid footing," he said.

Graham pointed to the key roles played by Air Force squadrons at Charleston and Shaw Air Force bases, and the Marine Corps' Beaufort Air Station. Vital training is conducted at the Army's Fort Jackson and at the Marine Corps' recruit center at Parris Island, he pointed out.

South Carolina's bases provide men and women who are "the tip of the spear" in any potential conflict and are too essential for cutbacks, Graham said.

Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., said in a separate interview that the process might even offer the prospect of growth for South Carolina's military bases.

"I like to say the climate in South Carolina is positive for the military," Wilson said.

Not only does the state's fair weather provide for many days of military training, but also the state's numerous communities with military retirees offer support to local bases, he said.

"I see the process as an opportunity for South Carolina. We could pick up added units that might be cut from other bases," Wilson said.

In the previous four rounds -- in 1988, 1991, 1993 and 1995 -- the Pentagon picked 97 major domestic bases for closure, 55 major bases for realignment, and 235 minor installations for closure or reorganization.