SCHUMER CALLS ON ARMY TO IMMEDIATELY REVERSE DECISION TO SHUT DOWN CLARKSON UNIVERSITY ROTC PROGRAM THAT WOULD FORCE DOZENS OF NORTH COUNTRY CADETS TO CHOOSE BETWEEN STAYING AT THEIR SCHOOL AND CONTINUING MILITARY SERVICE
Last Month, The Army Announced A Plan To Realign SROTC Resources And Force Structure By Inactivating Host Units At 10 Universities Across the US, Including The Long-Established And Successful “Golden Knight” Battalion At Clarkson University – The Only Army SROTC Host Unit In The North Country
The Golden Knight Battalion Is Currently A Host To Nearly 45 Cadets And Has Produced More Than 1,600 Commissioned Officers
Schumer: Army Must Maintain Clarkson University’s Superb SROTC For North Country Cadets
Following news last month that the Army would be shutting down ROTC programs at dozens of college campuses across the county including in the North Country, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer today called on the Army to reverse its unwise decision to inactivate Clarkson University’s top-notch collegiate ROTC program, which would force dozens of North Country cadets to choose between staying at their schools and transferring to another school with an ROTC program if they want to commission into the Army after graduation.
“Shutting down the North Country’s only collegiate Army ROTC program is harmful for cadets, Fort Drum, the nation and counterproductive at a time when the Army wants to increase recruitment and quality officers. Patriotism and passion for serving our country runs deep in the veins of the North County, but if this decision goes through, our cadets who want to serve their country will be forced to choose between staying at Clarkson University or transferring far away to another Army ROTC program if they want to commission into the Army after graduating,” said Senator Schumer. “The Golden Knight Battalion has a tremendous track record and is the North Country’s only Army SROTC program and hosts cadets from other schools across the region that don’t have their own SROTC unit. The unit has commissioned more than 1,600 Army officers, and inactivating it would degrade the recruitment, training, and retention of elite commissioned officers. That is why I’m calling on the Army to immediately reverse these cuts and preserve the Golden Knight Battalion at Clarkson University for these talented and patriotic North Country cadets.”
Clarkson University hosts one of the only Army Senior ROTC (SROTC) program for college students in the North Country. Schumer, in a letter to Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, called on the Army to immediately reverse its decision to shut down Clarkson University Army SROTC and to support young New Yorkers in the North Country who want to serve the country and to keep the Army strong and mission-ready.
Clarkson University’s Army SROTC program is currently home to 45 cadets and has produced more than 1,600 commissioned officers throughout the unit’s history, commissioning at least one cadet for all 17 basic branches of the Army. The Golden Knight Battalion is known for producing more STEM field cadets than other Army SROTC units of the same size and caliber, with more than double the national Army average for cadets who enter STEM fields. The unit also ranks highly for commissioning pre-med officers and sending them to medical school post-graduation, which helps the Army fill medical staffing shortages.
Clarkson University’s Army SROTC program also serves as a host unit for crosstown cadets who attend St. Lawrence University, SUNY Potsdam, and SUNY Canton, which don’t have Army SROTC programs of their own. Many cadets at Clarkson University are recruited from high schools across the North Country, including children of military families stationed at Fort Drum. If this inactivation proceeds as planned, none of the students at these schools will be able to continue their participation in Army SROTC unless they transfer to another institution that has an active Army SROTC program.
Senator Schumer’s letter to Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll can be found HERE or below:
Dear Secretary Driscoll:
I write to express my strong concerns regarding US Army Cadet Command’s (USACC) SROTC Rebalance and Optimization Plan announced on June 26, 2025, which alarmingly and unwisely proposes to inactivate the Army SROTC host unit at Clarkson University – the only Army SROTC unit in the North Country.
As you know, USACC’s plan entails the inactivation of 10 Army SROTC host units at universities across the United States, including the “Golden Knight” Battalion at Clarkson University. The Golden Knight Battalion is embedded in the fabric of New York State, recruiting and commissioning dozens of cadets every year from not only Clarkson University, but also serving as a host unit for crosstown cadets at St. Lawrence University, SUNY Canton and SUNY Potsdam. The hurried inactivation of one of 2nd ROTC Brigade’s most successful host units will completely extinguish any presence of Army SROTC host, extension, or crosstown units in Upstate New York’s North Country region—home to Fort Drum and the 10th Mountain Division—and ultimately degrade recruitment, training, and retention of elite commissioned officers for the Total Army.
Since the Golden Knight Battalion’s original activation at Clarkson University in 1936, it has commissioned over 1,600 second lieutenants (2LT) for the United States Army. In the last ten years alone, Clarkson University Army SROTC has commissioned at least one of all 17 basic branches of the Army, from cadets that have commissioned as Cyber Warfare Officers (17A) and Financial Managers (36A) to Infantry Officers (11A) and Field Artillery Officers (13A). The Golden Knight Battalion is also among the top Army SROTC programs for producing cadets in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields—to include commissioning dozens of engineers in the last five years alone. I fear that inactivating the Army SROTC host unit at Clarkson University will constrain the Army’s STEM training pipeline, as the Golden Knight Battalion commissions more than double the national Army SROTC average for cadets who enter STEM career fields.
I believe the plan to inactivate the SROTC unit at Clarkson University is a misstep, is counterproductive for meeting the Army’s officer commissioning mission requirements, is harmful to cadets presently enrolled in the program, and is harmful to the whole North Country community. Therefore, I strongly believe this decision should be immediately reversed.
In addition, I respectfully ask that USACC provide answers to the following questions prior to the issuance of any Operation Order (OPORD) to inactivate the host unit at Clarkson University:
- What criteria did USACC use to identify and determine which host units to inactivate, which host units to reclassify to extension units, and which to reclassify to crosstown units?
- What data specific to the Golden Knight Battalion at Clarkson University did USACC review as it developed the SROTC Rebalance and Optimization Plan? When was this data originally collected?
- Did USACC work with Clarkson University to verify the accuracy of its data before deciding to inactivate the Golden Knight Battalion?
- During its review, did USACC evaluate options to reclassify Clarkson University as an extension unit?
Thank you for your prompt attention to this important matter. Please do not hesitate to reach out to my office with any questions.
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