By KEVIN DENNEHY
STAFF WRITER
OTIS AIR BASE - The Pentagon activated 161 members of the 102nd Fighter Wing as part of a massive call-up of the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, but it is unlikely the unit will be deployed overseas.

The 102nd will continue to guard the skies over the northeastern United States as part of the Homeland Defense plan, according to U.S. Sen. John Kerry's office.

The 102nd is a 1,100-member unit of active duty and reserve personnel, including 32 pilots as well as civilian engineers, security forces, communication specialists, equipment maintainers and supply and service personnel. Close to half of the 102nd contingent are active duty personnel.

The activation essentially puts the 102nd under authority of the Department of Defense rather than the governor and significantly boosts its combat-ready complement.

It was unclear last night which members of the 102nd would be mobilized.

"You can assume there would be pilots and aircraft maintainers, right off the bat," said Lt. Col. Margaret Quenneville, a spokeswoman for the 102nd. "But beyond that, you just don't know."

Six F-15 Eagle fighters from Otis are expected to be mobilized, although military officials would not confirm that last night.

There are 18 fighter jets based at Otis Air National Guard Base. The 102nd patrols the Eastern seaboard and specializes in air-to-air combat.

The unit keeps two pilots on 24-hour alert, ready to be in the air within five minutes.

Two F-15 jets from Otis were scrambled in response to the World Trade Center attacks, arriving minutes after United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the second tower. According to a timeline released by the North American Aerospace Defense Command, the fighters were not notified in time to reach New York City before the crash, although there would have been little the pilots could do since they did not have orders to shoot down the civilian aircraft.

The 102nd also includes engineers, explosives experts, security forces and firefighters, many of whom have seen combat in Europe and the Middle East.

Last fall, more than 380 members of the 102nd went to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Turkey, France, Italy and Germany in support of the "no-fly" zone patrols.

The Department of Defense activated 5,131 members of the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. Twenty-nine reserve and National Guard units from 24 states, including 17 fighter wings, six air control squadrons, two air refueling wings and a bomber wing.

About 1.3 million men and women serve in the seven reserve forces, which comprise about one-half of the U.S. armed forces.

"No other single action more clearly demonstrates the national resolve than to mobilize the National Guard and Reserve forces of America," said Craig Duehring, principal deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs.

"These Guardsmen and reservists are just the first to be put on partial mobilization orders. They're joining thousands of other reserve forces members who immediately answered the call, either in a state active duty or federal volunteer status."

Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld said yesterday that there are no plans to call more than the 35,000 reservists that were estimated last week.

The president has authorized the mobilization of up to 50,000 reservists.