Colonel Michael K. Schulte is the Director of the Army Petroleum Center, Army Sustainment Command at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. He is a native of Hoffman Estates, IL and comes from a family lineage of military service. COL Schulte began his military career in May of 2001 when he received his ROTC commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Quartermaster Corps with a detail to Infantry Branch.
COL Schulte’s first assignment was with the 1st Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) at Ft. Myer, Virginia where he served as a Rifle Platoon Leader, Bravo Company, and later as the Assistant Regimental S-4. Upon completion of his branch detail, he was assigned to Headquarters Support Company, Army Forces, Joint Task Force-Bravo in Honduras where he served as the support platoon leader until December 2004.
In July 2005, COL Schulte was assigned to Fort Richardson, AK, where he activated and took command of Foxtrot Forward Support Company, 725th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, and directly supported 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment. In October 2006, he deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom to Forward Operating Base Kalsu in Babil Province, Iraq and later Camp Fallujah in Al Anbar Province, Iraq (task organized under I and II MEFs). In June 2007, he became the S4 for 725th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, and redeployed in December 2007. He was then selected to be the Aide-de-Camp to the Commanding General, U.S. Army Alaska. In July 2009, COL Schulte was assigned to U.S. Central Command where he served as a J4 Operations Staff Officer. In November 2011, he was assigned to the G5, V Corps in Wiesbaden, Germany as a Force Integration Officer. In May 2012, he deployed with V Corps to Kabul, Afghanistan under the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Joint Command (IJC), where he served as a Governance and Development Planner.
COL Schulte was then assigned to Schofield Barracks, HI where he served as the Brigade S4, 8th Military Police Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command. In March 2015, he became the Executive Officer, 524th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 45th Sustainment Brigade, later redesignated as 25th Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade. In November 2016, he was assigned to Fort Shafter, HI where he served as the Future Operations Branch Chief, 8th Theater Sustainment Command until June 2017. He served within the Department of the Army Inspector General Agency at the Pentagon as an Inspector General and Executive Officer to the Deputy Inspector General.
In March 2020, he assumed command of 68th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion while deployed to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Spartan Shield and later redeployed to Ft. Carson, Colorado in July 2020. Following battalion command in March 2022, COL Schulte served as the 4th Division Sustainment Brigade Support Operations Officer.
COL Schulte’s education includes a Bachelor of Arts in History from University of Illinois at Chicago, a Master of Science in Business-Global Supply Chain Management and Logistics from Kansas University, and a Master of Arts with Distinction in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College. He is also a graduate of the Infantry Officer Basic Course, Combined Logistics Captain Career Course, and the Army’s Command and General Staff College.
His awards and decorations include various medals and badges including the Bronze Star Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and the Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters. He is awarded the Expert Infantryman Badge, Senior Parachutist Badge, Parachute Rigger Badge, Ranger Tab, Army Staff Identification Badge, Army Inspector General Badge, Joint Meritorious Unit Award with one oak leaf cluster, Valorous Unit Award, Meritorious Unit Commendation with one oak leaf cluster, Army Superior Unit Award, Honduran Jumpmaster Parachutist Badge, El Salvadorian Army Basic Parachutist Badge, Nicaraguan Army Basic Parachutist Badge, and the Mexican Navy Basic Parachutist Badge.
COL Schulte is married to the former Nicole LaRue Kleinschmidt, of Canton, IL. They have two sons: Alexander (12) and Christian (9) and their family dog, Scout.