Colonel McHugh assumed command of U.S. Army Garrison Poland on 15 July 2025.
A native of Petersham, Massachusetts, COL McHugh served as an infantryman in the Army National Guard from 1988 until his commissioning from the University of New Hampshire in December of 2001. He participated in the Army’s branch detail program, initially serving as an Armor officer for three and a half years before transitioning to Military Intelligence. As an Armor officer, he served in several leadership and staff positions in combat arms units including Mortar Infantry Platoon Leader during the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and Mechanized Infantry Company Executive Officer during the Army’s transition to combined arms battalions.
Following his transition to Military intelligence, he served as a Battalion tactical intelligence officer for a second deployment to Iraq and then as commander of a headquarters company within the 41st Fires Brigade at Fort Hood, Texas. After graduating the Military Intelligence Captain’s Career Course, he spent two years with the 82d Airborne Division as the Current Operations Intelligence Officer on Division staff, with just over a year providing intelligence support to allied forces in Afghanistan as part of the Combined Joint Task Force Headquarters for Regional Command – East.
As a senior Captain and junior Major, he served in the Army’s Training and Doctrine Command as an intelligence observer/trainer with Mission Command Training Program, preparing units for deployment and mission readiness. Following resident Intermediate Level Education, he was assigned to the 743D Military Intelligence Battalion at Buckley SFB, Colorado where he served as Chief of Operations for the National Security Agency’s Office of Weapons and Space and the Operations Officer and Executive Officer for the battalion, then to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s Analytic Operations Directorate in Springfield, Virginia.
On 19 JUN 2020, COL McHugh’s assumed command of Army Support Activity – Black Sea (ASA-BS) with responsibility for IMCOM’s interests at Mihail Kogălniceanu Airbase, Romania, and Novo Selo Training Area, Bulgaria. Following command of ASA – Black Sea, COL McHugh was assigned as the Human Resource Manager (HRM) for Military Intelligence Colonels within Senior Leader Development - Colonels Management Office (SLD-COMO) at Fort Knox, Kentucky. COL McHugh’s final assignment prior to arriving at USAG Poland was as a student at the U.S. Navy War College, and as the U.S. Army embed within the Naval Command College international student officer program.
COL McHugh’s civilian education includes a BS in Business Management, a MA in International Relations and MA in Strategic Studies, and his military education includes the Armor Officer Basic Course, Military Intelligence Captain’s Career Course, ILE at the Army’s Command and General Staff College, and SSC at the U.S. Navy War College.
COL McHugh’s awards and decorations include the Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Combat and Expert Infantryman Badges, Airborne and Air Assault Badges, Basic Army Space Badge, and the Afghanistan and Iraq Campaign Medals.