Lieutenant Colonel Michael B. Harmon was born and raised in Clifton, Virginia on 12 April 1982. He graduated from Paul VI High School in Fairfax City, Virginia and attended the College of Charleston in South Carolina, earning a Bachelors Degree in History and his commission in the United States Marines Corps in 2004. After completing The Basic School and Infantry Officers Course, he was assigned to Third Marine Regiment in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii serving in Second Battalion, Third Marines and the Regimental Headquarters Company. Lieutenant Colonel Harmon completed three combat deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom serving as a Rifle Platoon Commander, Executive Officer and Company Commander from 2005-2009.
In 2009, Lieutenant Colonel Harmon was assigned as an instructor at The Basic School in Quantico Virginia. He served as a Primary Instructor in the Military Operations on Urban Terrain Package. Lieutenant Colonel Harmon was also Staff Platoon Commander for India Company and Fox Company in 2010-2011. Upon completing a successful tour at the Basic School, Lieutenant Colonel Harmon was selected to attend Career Level School at Expeditionary Warfare School at Marine Corps University, graduating in 2012.
Lieutenant Colonel Harmon was assigned to Seventh Marine Regiment in Twentynine Palms, California where he served as the Kilo Company Commander and Operations Officer for Third Battalion, Seventh Marines. Lieutenant Colonel Harmon again deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2013 and again to Kuwait in 2015 as the SPMAGTF Crisis Response Central Command 15.2 Ground Combat Element Operations Officer in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.
Upon completing a successful tour with 7th Marines, Lieutenant Colonel Harmon was selected to attend intermediate level school at the United States Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island in 2016. He graduated with distinction, earning a Masters Degree in Defense and Strategic Studies and was subsequently assigned to Headquarters Marine Corps, Deputy Commandant for Plans, Policies and Operations (PP&O). Lieutenant Colonel Harmon served for three years working in the Readiness Branch for the Director of Operations. While at PP&O, he deployed again as an individual augment to Baghdad, Iraq as the Deputy Operations Officer for Joint Operations Command-Iraq from 2018-2019.
Most recently, Lieutenant Colonel Harmon served as the Operations Officer for First Marine Regiment in Camp Pendleton, California from 2020-2021. Currently, he is assigned as the Infantry Training Battalion Commander at the School of Infantry-West in Camp Pendleton, California.