Commanding Officer
Nimitz Operational Intelligence Center
Captain Michael J. Hannan assumed command of the Nimitz Operational Intelligence Center in May 2019. Prior to his current assignment, he served as Corporate Director, Information Warfare, OPNAV N2N6C at the Pentagon.
CAPT Hannan graduated with Merit from the United States Naval Academy in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science. He is a Distinguished Graduate of the United States Naval War College in 2005, earning a Master of Arts degree in National Security Affairs and Strategic Studies, and a 2009 graduate of the Joint Forces Staff College.
His operational tours include service as the Air Intelligence Officer for Tactical Air Control Squadron 22, participating in Operations Quick Draw in Mogadishu, Somalia and Support Democracy in Haiti. He later served as the Targeting Officer for Carrier Air Wing 11, deploying to the Western Pacific and Arabian Gulf, where he participated in Operations Desert Fox and Southern Watch strike operations against Iraq. From 2009-2011 he was Senior Intelligence Officer onboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), completing a combat deployment in support of U.S. and coalition ground forces in Afghanistan.
CAPT Hannan’s previous staff assignments include Senior Watch Officer and Division Chief at the Office of Naval Intelligence in Washington, DC. He served as Fleet Targeting Officer on the staff of Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet in Manama, Bahrain. During this assignment, CAPT Hannan coordinated all Naval targeting fires against al-Qaeda and Taliban forces during the initial phases of Operation Enduring Freedom. He was Director of the Navy Attaché Affairs Office and the Deputy Branch Head for Policy, Fleet Requirements, and Intelligence Community Integration on the staff of the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare (OPNAV N2N6). His follow-on assignment was the Joint Staff as the J2 Deputy Director for Intelligence, serving in the National Military Command Center. From 2015-2017, CAPT Hannan was the Director of Information Warfare and Chief Information Officer for the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center at Naval Air Station Fallon, NV.
Prior to his studies at the Naval War College, CAPT Hannan was assigned as Intelligence Placement and Junior Officer Detailer at the Navy Personnel Command in Millington, TN. He later served at U.S. Embassy Berlin, as the Deputy Naval Attaché to Germany. He was selected in 2011 as a Federal Executive Fellow, analyzing future defense strategies at the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC. He is the author of articles on maritime strategy and operational analysis published by Armed Forces Journal, IO Sphere, and The Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences.
CAPT Hannan received the Rear Admiral Edwin T. Layton Award in 2009 and the Vice Admiral Rufus L. Taylor Award in 2017 from the Director of Naval Intelligence for exceptional leadership, mentorship, and professionalism within the Naval Intelligence Community. Following his Naval Attaché service, he was awarded the Silver Cross of Honor by the Ministry of Defense, Federal Republic of Germany.