Career
He spent over 30 years with the Australian Defence Force, during which time he served as Special Operations Commander Australia from 2004 to 2008, and Commander of Joint Task Force 633 in the Middle East Area of Operations from March 2008 to January 2009. He retired from the Australian Army in mid-2009, and joined the Army of the United Arab Emirates as Commander of the United Arab Emirates Presidential Guard, a United Arab Emirates Armed Forces formation that includes both conventional and special forces units. Mike Hindmarsh entered the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1976, graduating into the Royal Australian Infantry Corps in 1978.
Hindmarsh saw regimental service as a Platoon Commander with the 2nd/4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment and as a Troop Commander, Squadron Commander and Commanding Officer with the Special Air Service Regiment (SASR).
Other appointments included: SO3 Operations at Headquarters Land Command. SO2 Training at Headquarters United Kingdom Special Forces.
SO1 Operations at Headquarters Special Forces. And Brigade level tactics instructor at the Land Warfare Centre.
As Commanding Officer of the SASR, Hindmarsh commanded the ANZAC Special Operations Force detachment to Operation Pollard in Kuwait during 1998.
Hindmarsh was later appointed to command the Special Operations Component on Operation Bastille and Operation Falconer in the Iraq War. He served as the Commander of the Australian Special Operations Command from October 2004 to February 2008. Hindmarsh assumed command of Australian Forces in the Middle East Area of Operations in an official ceremony on 1 March 2008.
He succeeded Major General Mark Evans in this position.
His tour ended on 12 January 2009, at which time he was succeeded by Major General Mark Kelly. From March 2009 until his retirement from the Australian Army in the later half of 2009, Hindmarsh assumed command of Army Training Command at Victoria Barracks, Sydney.
Following retirement from the Australian Army, Hindmarsh accepted the positions of Special Advisor – National Security to the United Arab Emirates, and major general in charge of the United Arab Emirates Presidential Guard. On 8 February 2016 an American Broadcasting Company News report questioned the extent of Hindmarsh"s knowledge of civilian deaths allegedly caused during the operation of United Arab Emirates forces in Yemen, as a result of his ongoing employment as a security advisor to the government.
Hindmarsh was educated at the Anglican Church Grammar School in Brisbane.
He is a graduate of the Army Command and Staff College, Queenscliff, the Joint Services Staff College and the United Kingdom Royal College of Defence Studies. He enjoys rock climbing, bush walking and rugby union.