HONOLULU - In a late flurry of activity, Hawaiis military, government and business leaders have joined together to work for a common goal: To convince an independent panel that the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard should not be added to a list of military bases slated for closure. A Hawaii delegation plans to appear before the Base Realignment and Closure commissions western regional meetings in Los Angeles on Thursday to make its first arguments to keep the 97-year-old installation open. The Hawaii Chamber of Commerce military affairs council last week formed a high-powered subcommittee and hired a lobbyist to put together Pearl Harbors presentation. The members include Maj. Gen. Robert Lee, the states adjutant general; retired Adm. Thomas Fargo, a former head of both the U.S. Pacific Command and the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor; retired Adm. Ron Hays, also a former commander of the Pacific Command; and retired Adm. R.J. Zlatoper, a former commander of the Pacific Fleet. "Any time youre called upon the field of play, you have to be prepared for the challenge," said Jim Tollefson, the chambers president and chief executive. "Were prepared to go the whole nine yards to be successful." Tollefson said the presentation to the panel will focus on Pearl Harbors military importance. "We feel that Pearl Harbor, being located in the middle of the Pacific and being homeport of the Navy in the Pacific, it makes great tactical and strategic sense to maintain a shipyard here," he said. Hawaiis group was formed just days after the head of the commission asked Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld in a July 1 letter to explain why the Pentagon left the Pearl Harbor shipyard off the list released in May, instead recommending the closure of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. Maine and New Hampshire officials last week delivered a strong presentation to the commission during a hearing in Boston using charts, graphs and expert testimony. They also went on the offensive and cited examples of Portsmouth having greater efficiency compared to Pearl Harbor. Officials in Hawaii said the two shipyards cant be compared. "When you talk about efficiency, youre talking about apples and pineapples. We do different work," said Matt Hamilton, president of the Hawaii Federal Employees Metal Trades Council, the umbrella organization representing 15 labor unions. "We do a myriad of things they just dont do there. I dont know how you can compare." Lee said Pearl Harbor does everything from emergency jobs to long-term overhauls and services everything from submarines to aircraft carriers, while Portsmouth focuses on submarines. "I  kind of use the term, one-trick pony," he said. The base closure commission will hold a hearing on July 19 in Washington to decide whether bases including Pearl Harbor should be added to the hit list. Seven of the nine commissioners would have to vote to add a base, and public hearings and base visits would follow. Gov. Linda Lingle said she is confident that Pearl Harbor would be kept off the list. "Its important to Hawaiis economy, obviously, but equally important to the nations defense," she said. "As long as the decision is made on the basis of the countrys security, I think well be fine." The United States has been beefing up its forces in Hawaii, a key military location for the Asia-Pacific region. More than 30 vessels are home-ported at Pearl Harbor, and the Navy is considering basing an aircraft carrier here. The shipyard, which has a historical role in rebuilding the U.S. fleet after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, is Hawaii  largest industrial employer with 4,355 civilians and a payroll last year of $385 million. The shipyard has an estimated economic impact of $1 billion. "During this challenging time, we have not lost sight of our mission to deliver the products and services the Navy has tasked," Jason Holm, spokesman for the Pearl Harbor shipyard, said in a statement. "We realize there is no greater testament to our proud legacy than in how we will rise to excel at our mission in the coming days." Hamilton, the labor leader, said he has emphasized to concerned shipyard workers that they should not panic because there are no indications that Pearl Harbor will be on put on the base closure list, unlike Portsmouth, which has been  there before. "We could end up saying, Oh, we never were on the list," he said. "Im not one to cross bridges before I get to them."He also downplays any talk of the showdown between Pearl Harbor and Portsmouth.

By Megan Scully, CongressDaily