Col. Michael Child is a graduate of Bridgewater State College, Bridgewater, MA and earned his commission through the United States Army Officer Candidate School, Ft. Benning, in 2001 where he was branched Armor.
Col. Child has served in a variety of leadership positions throughout his career. His first assignment was with the 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (OPFOR) at The National Training Center at Fort Irwin, CA where he served as a Tank Platoon Leader, Tank Company Executive Officer, and then as the Task Force Scout Platoon Leader during Operation Iraqi Freedom III.
Col. Child later led a Military Transition Team (MiTT) responsible for the training an Iraqi Army Infantry Battalion. Upon return from Iraq, he served as an Assistant Operations Officer (AS3) prior to attending the Armor Captains Career Course at Ft. Knox. After graduation, Child served as Operations Officer and Assistant Professor of Military Science at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi ROTC. Later, he was assigned to 1-34 AR,1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, KS where he served as the Battalion S4 and then as the Commander of Charlie Company, responsible for training Transition Team Advisors from the Army, Navy, and Air Force in preparation for OIF/OEF. He later stood up and commanded Charlie Troop, 4th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division.
In 2010, Col. Child left the Regular Army and joined Army Reserve where he served as an Observer/Controller- Trainer in the 2nd Brigade, Atlantic Division, 75th Training Command, as a Battalion Executive Officer in 1-304th Regiment, 98th Division, and as a European Theater Operations Planner for the USARE-European Command (EUCOM). In 2016-17, Col. Child mobilized and commanded the CONUS Replacement Center (CRC) Battalion at Fort Bliss Texas. Upon completion of mobilization, he assumed command of 1-304th Regiment, 98th Division.
After command, Col. Child served as Battle Watch Captain, USARE-EUCOM prior to returning to active duty for operational support as the Current and Global Operations Officer on the Joint Staff, J-33, where he led the COVID-19 Crisis Management Team. In August 2022, Col. Child assumed command of the 206th Digital Liaison Detachment, 412th Theater Engineer Command, at Ft. Jackson, SC where he served until June 2023. COL Child most recently served as the 76th ORC G-3/5/7 until assuming the role of Chief of Staff in June 2024.