Introduction[edit]

The Mohawk Battalion is the Army ROTC program for the Capital Region. The program is currently hosted at Siena College in Loudonville, NY, with satellite programs at RPI, UAlbany, HVCC, Union College, Russell Sage, Skidmore and other colleges in the Capital Region.

Early History[edit]

Army ROTC at RPI began in 1947. The program was initially affiliated with the Corp of Engineers, Transportation Corp and Signal Corp, at the time ROTC programs were aligned with specific branches of the Army based on the school's academic program. This was eventually phased out in the 1960s.

In 1981, the State University at Albany founded an extension of the RPI program allowing for UAlbany students to take ROTC classes at their campus, while remaining a part of RPI ROTC.

In the 1990s, the Army went through a major downsizing and the RPI and Siena College program's were merged. Keeping the Mohawk Battalion name and being hosted at RPI before eventually moving to Siena College due to over crowding in the Armory building, where Air Force and Navy ROTC were hosted.

Recent Events[edit]

In 2021, the Mohawk Battalion's Ranger Challenge team placed 2nd in their brigade competition and were invited to compete at the Sandhurst Competition, an international military skills competition hosted by the United States Military Academy at West Point. The team consisted of cadets from Siena, RPI, UAlbany and Union College. With four members of the primary team being from RPI, Gregory Kotlyarsky, Patrick Best, Brandon Chasse, and Andrew Kazmer.

Notable Alumni[edit]

Major General Harold J. Greene, former deputy commanding general of Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan and the highest-ranking American officer to be killed in Afghanistan

Major General Kimberly M. Colloton, deputy commander of the United States Army Corps of Engineers