The Army Reserve units in Ames will not be mobilized to assist peacekeeping forces in Bosnia any time soon, a local official said.

John Peterson, facility manager of the Army Reserve Center in Ames, said the 349th Corps Support Battalion, which has 56 soldiers, hasn’t heard anything “at the present time” about the possibility of going to Bosnia. The Iowa Army National Guard unit at Fort Dodge was ordered by the Pentagon Monday to prepare for mobilization. This unit also saw duty in the Persian Gulf War. Peterson said the mobilization of the Ames unit is a possibility.

“Yeah, it’s a concern,” he said. “I guess Desert Storm showed that reserves will be called upon occasion. It’s a long way from Vietnam, when the reserve component was considered a good way to avoid actual combat.”

Army reserve units specialize as support groups which provide food, fuel and supplies required by actual combat troops. President Clinton has authorized the mobilization of about 25,000 U.S. troops.

“If it got very supply-intensive, they might pull in more reserve units,” Peterson said. “It takes a lot of food and fuel to support 25,000 soldiers.”