Lt. Col. Michael Hutchinson was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant of Infantry in May 2003 after graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He served as a Rifle Platoon Leader in Ramadi, Iraq in 2004, and Company Executive Officer upon return to the United States. He attended the Special Forces Assessment and Selection Course in 2006, joining the 3rd Special Forces Group and serving at every level from Detachment Commander to Battalion Executive Officer. Throughout this period, he deployed five times in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and also supported Operation Juniper Shield, an operation to counter violent extremism in the Sahara/Sahel region of Africa. In May 2017, he was assigned to Headquarters, United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) as the Vice Chief of Staff. During this assignment, he deployed to Afghanistan as Military Assistant to the Commanding General, Operation Resolute Support. In January 2020, he returned to USASOC Headquarters to serve in the newly established Force Modernization Center as the Director of Advanced Analytics and Artificial Intelligence. In that capacity, he spearheaded digital modernization efforts including the adoption of cloud-native software development, sensor-based analytics, and workforce development. He currently serves as the commander of the Albany Recruiting Battalion, assisting young men and women in joining the Army and Army Reserve across four states, Europe, and the Middle East.
He is a graduate of the Infantry Officer Basic Course, the Mechanized Leader Course, Maneuver Captain’s Career Course, Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape Course (SERE) and the Special Forces Qualification Course. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies from West Point and holds a Master of Science in Defense Analysis from the Naval Postgraduate School.
Hutchinson's awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the
Meritorious Service Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Special Forces Tab, the Ranger Tab, the Parachutist’s Badge, and the Air Assault Badge. He has been awarded the Infantry Regimental Association’s Order of Saint Maurice.