An independent commission began its work on Tuesday on the next round of US military base realignments and closures.

The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission, consisting of nine commissioners, will evaluate the Defense Department's recommendations for changes in the US military's infrastructure, the Pentagon said.

The Pentagon is required to submit its list of recommended closures and realignments to the commission by May 16, and the commission must send its report to the president by Sept. 8.

A report on base realignments and closures submitted in March 2004 estimated there was a 24 percent excess capacity in the Defense Department.

The commission's work must reflect that while the United States devotes great resources to its defense, those resources are limited, said commission chairman Anthony J. Principi, former secretary of veterans affairs, who administered the oath of office to the eight commissioners on Tuesday.

After evaluating the Pentagon's recommendations, the commission will submit its own list to the president for review and approval, then to the Congress, which must accept or reject the list in its entirety.

The Pentagon has conducted four rounds of base realignments and closures, in 1988, 1991, 1993 and 1995 respectively, which brought about 97 major closures, 55 major realignments and 235 minor actions.

Closing and realigning these installations saved around 18 billion US dollars through fiscal 2001 and a further 7 billion dollars per year since, according to Pentagon figures.