BEAUFORT -- Gov. Mark Sanford vetoed Wednesday the creation of the South Carolina Military Preparedness and Enhancement Commission, saying the state already had a similar group in place.

The proposed commission would duplicate the efforts of the South Carolina Military Base Task Force, which Sanford created in 2003, said Will Folks, a spokesman for the governor.

"Though well-intentioned, this legislation duplicates ongoing efforts to work with communities of interest in the 2005 round of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission established at the Department of Defense," Sanford said in a letter dated Wednesday to members of the state House of Representatives.

A round of Pentagon-mandated Base Realignment and Closure is set for next year to eliminate excess installations and allow the military to operate more efficiently. About 25 percent of the nation's bases are expected to be impacted.

State Rep. Catherine Ceips, R-Beaufort, the bill's sponsor, said it was an important first step to put South Carolina in a position to protect its military communities, whether or not the state was faced with a round of base closures.

"This is a bill for the future of South Carolina," Ceips said. "When (a base-closure round) comes around, everybody gets busy and forms commissions. They did nothing over the years when (the base-closure round) wasn't looming."

In this way, South Carolina has fallen behind other states, such as Texas, Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Oklahoma, as far as showing the Pentagon that it's serious about taking care of its service members' quality of life at all times, she said.

Sanford's veto letter also noted the lack of money to operate the commission.

The initial bill included a $25 million revolving loan to benefit military communities in need. But the money was removed to get the bill passed in April as the state faced a budget crunch.

Ceips said she planned to get the money for the revolving loan added to the legislation when the General Assembly reconvenes next month. She stressed that the bill was not designed just for the impending round of base closures, but for the future of the state's military communities.

Retired Army Gen. Jim Shufelt, who serves on the executive committee of the governor's base task force, said he wasn't surprised the governor vetoed the bill.

"The bill without the funding mechanism doesn't really accomplish very much," said Shufelt, who also volunteers with Beaufort County's Military Enhancement Committee, a Greater Beaufort Chamber of Commerce group working to protect area bases.

It might be beneficial to study the bill to see if there a way to accomplish some of its goals, he said.