Colonel Jeffrey Olichwier
New Mexico Army Chief of Staff
COL Jeffrey Olichwier entered the Army as an Infantry Scout Private in 1990 in CSC 1st of the 123rd Infantry Battalion and then served as an Infantry Scout Team Leader as a Sergeant. In 1995, he joined the New Mexico Army National Guard with initial assignment as a HAWK crewmember with subsequent assignment as Stinger/MANPAD Operator in the 111th Brigade.
COL Olichwier then attended Officer Candidate School, graduating in 1999 as the Distinguished Honor Graduate and Erickson Trophy recipient. A graduate of Air Defense Officer Basic Course, he served the following assignments from 1999-2004: Platoon Leader, Battery C 1st BN 200th ADA in Hobbs, NM; Executive Officer, Battery A 1st BN 200th ADA in Roswell NM; and Battery Commander, Battery B 4th BN 200th ADA Farmington, NM.
From 2004-2009 he branched into the Chemical Corps and served as Survey Team Leader, 64th CST-WMD followed by assignment as the Deputy Commander, 64th CST-WMD. COL Olichwier then served as Support Operations Officer 717th BSB, 111th Brigade in Roswell, NM. From 2011-2014 he served as the Assistant Operations Officer 515th Regional Training Institute followed by service as the OCS Company Commander at the 515th Regional Training Institute. Following these assignments, he served from 2014-2016 as the 111th Brigade’s Chemical Officer. This assignment was followed by service as New Mexico National Guard’s J8 Planning Officer from 2016-2018. He was assigned to the 515th RTI as the 2nd Battalion (GS) Commander from 2018-2021. From 2022-2023, he was assigned as the 93rd Troop Command Executive Officer. He was then assigned as the NMARNG’ s G3, Chief of Operations, until April 2025. COL Olichwier has been serving as the NMARNG’s Chief of Staff since May 2025.
COL Olichwier has a BA from the University of Illinois and an MBA from the University of Illinois. He has a Certificate in Military Geological Engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology. COL Olichwier holds a professional Level 3 Certification as a Certified Acquisition Professional with the U.S. Army Acquisition Corps. He is a graduate of the Officer Basic Course, Captain’s Career Course, and Command and General Staff Course. He graduated the United States Army War College with the DL class of 2025 as a Superior Graduate.
COL Olichwier’s military decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Commendation Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Army Reserve Commendation Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Achievement Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, and the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge: Gold.