TACOMA — Gov. Christine Gregoire, stepping up efforts to shield Washington's military bases from an upcoming round of closures, said yesterday the state could actually benefit from the whole painful ordeal.

Her thinking? Washington state, with its cutting-edge military installations, ultra-supportive communities and ideal Pacific Rim location, could be assigned some units and personnel from bases that are closed or realigned elsewhere.

The welcome mat is out, the governor told a news conference after touring McChord Air Force Base.

Outlining an aggressive pitch on behalf of all of the state military installations, she said the message to the Pentagon is assertive: "First, none of our bases should be on the [closure] list and, two, we stand ready to welcome other missions and personnel to Washington state.

"I actually hope that we expand our military force in Washington state as a result of BRAC."

BRAC is the acronym for the Base Realignment and Closure Commission that Congress and the White House are using to trim the nation's military bases by perhaps 15 percent.

The latest round is about to begin.

For the fifth time since 1988, the Pentagon will nominate some bases for closure or consolidation. The previous rounds have cut about 20 percent of bases nationally from the pre-1988 level.

The Department of Defense will release a list by May 16. A nine-member BRAC panel appointed by Congress and President Bush, with only limited authority to change the Pentagon's list, will submit recommendations to the White House by Sept. 8. By Nov. 7, the president will submit the plan to Congress, which has 45 days for an up-or-down vote.

It's a big deal for Washington state, since the military is the state's largest employer, with 188,000 jobs directly or indirectly tied to the bases and an annual payroll of $7.2 billion. Thousands of military pensioners have retired in the state.

The state, congressional delegation and local communities have lined up to fight closure or consolidation of any of the installations.

Gregoire has taken up where her predecessor, Gary Locke, left off. She has made the base-closure issue a high priority in the first weeks of her new administration, traveling to military communities and plotting strategy.

She and legislative leaders from both parties sent a letter to the Pentagon yesterday pledging the state's commitment to the bases.

Gregoire and members of the congressional delegation will meet with base-closure officials in Washington, D.C., next week, and Gregoire will lead a delegation from all of the state's military towns before the May decision date.

Gregoire was joined for yesterday's base tour and news conference by the powerful dean of the House delegation, Rep. Norm Dicks of Tacoma, the second-ranking Democrat on the Appropriations defense subcommittee.

Both were upbeat about the state's chances of emerging unscathed — and possibly enhanced — from the new round.

"I really believe we're in good shape," said Dicks. "My fingers are crossed. You never say never, but in the four previous rounds, we've gotten more than we've given up."

In earlier rounds, the state lost the Navy installation at Sand Point in Seattle and an Army training site at Camp Bonneville in Clark County.

Gregoire and Dicks said the state will emphasize the bases' strategic importance to American military might, rather than a more-parochial appeal.

"These bases are without question huge economic engines for the entire state of Washington, but they are also strategically based and are important for a swift response to the Pacific Rim," the governor said.

"We can't afford to lose them economically and we cannot afford as a nation to lose them strategically."

Gregoire called it "a very high-stakes issue" but agreed with Dicks that none of the state's bases seem particularly threatened. Each installation has unique qualities, whether it's Fort Lewis' cutting-edge Stryker brigades, McChord's C-17 airlifters or Fairchild Air Force Base's survival school, Gregoire said.

Naval installations in Kitsap County, Whidbey Island and Everett all have compelling stories, too, Dicks said.

"I can make the case for every one of them," Gregoire said.

She announced a $10 million proposal to help bases with roads, sewers and other infrastructure and to buy some adjacent properties to avoid encroachment by developers.

The state's senior U.S. senator, Democrat Patty Murray, said in Olympia, "The positive news is, our entire state is working as a team," rather than pitting one base against others. "Our state's strategic military bases are in good shape."