Lieutenant Colonel Daniel T. Hough is a native of Greenfield, Indiana. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in June 2003 and served in the Marine Corps Reserves for four years. He received his commission in July 2007 through the Platoon Leader’s Class program after graduating from Grand Valley State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations with a minor in Middle Eastern Studies.
As a company grade officer, LtCol Hough’s operational assignments were Operations office, 2d Combat Engineer Battalion; Watch Officer, Counter-IED Cell, II MEF (Fwd), Iraq; and Engineer Platoon Commander, Battalion Landing Team 3/8, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Helmand Province, Afghanistan. In 2011 he was promoted to Captain, and served as a Project Officer, Program Manager – Engineer Systems, Marine Corps Systems Command. In 2014 he was assigned to 7th Engineer Support Battalion, where he served as Company Commander, Bridge Company. In 2015 he served as the Engineer Advisor, Task Force Al Asad, Iraq. Upon his return to 7th Engineer Support Battalion in 2016, he assumed command of Engineer Support Company. In 2017 he was promoted to Major and was assigned to serve as Commanding Officer, Engineer Equipment Instruction Company, Marine Corps Detachment, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. In 2020 LtCol Hough was assigned to Marine Corps Base Quantico to attend intermediate-level education at Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and he attended the School of Advanced Warfighting in 2021. In July 2022 he was assigned to III Marine Expeditionary Force Command Element where he served as the Pacific Plans Officer in the G-35 Future Operations Section until July 2024. He was promoted to LtCol in August 2023. He assumed the duties of the G-3 Plans and Integration Officer in July 2024 and ended his tour in the III MEF G-3 by serving as the acting III MEF G-357 Future Operations Officer. He transferred to the III MEF G-4 in July 2025, where he assumed the role as the III MEF Force Engineer Officer. In June 2026 LtCol Hough assumed his current role as the Inspector-Instructor, 6th Engineer Support Battalion, Portland, Oregon.
His professional military education as an officer includes: The Basic School, Combat Engineer Officer Course, Counter Explosive Hazards Planner Course, CPoF Basic Operator Course, Expeditionary Warfare School (DEP), Contracting Officer Representative Course, Naval Post-graduate School Acquisition and Program Management Course, Iraq Advisor Training Team Course, Joint Engineer Operations Course, Marine Corps Command and Staff College (non-resident), Marine Corps Command and Staff College (resident), School of Advanced Warfighting, and the Air War College. He obtained a Master of Arts degree in Administrative Leadership from the University of Oklahoma, and Master of Military Studies and Master of Operational Studies degrees from the Marine Corps University.
LtCol Hough’s decorations include: the Meritorious Service Medal with one gold star in lieu of second award, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with two gold stars in lieu of third award, and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.