From 1981 to 1985 was in the Infantry Battalion 52 in Rotenburg an der Fulda twice as company commander and received the promotion to captain during this time.

Subsequently, he was from 1987 to 1989 Deputy Head of the Military Intelligence (G2) on the staff of I Corps in Münster under the command of Lieutenant Generals Dieter Clauss and Jörn Söder.

As Hüttel was added in 1992 in the Ministry of Defence in Bonn, there to take up the post of the chief of the planning staff, he took with Achim Lidsba as a speaker.

Here, he was also responsible for the preparation and support of military-political armed military missions, Cabinet decisions and referrals to the German Bundestag as well as coordination with NATO, the EU, United Nations and partners.

Under appointment to Brigadier General in 2005 by Wolfgang Brüschke he took over command of the Neustadt Armoured Brigade 14, 12 which he led until July 2007.

The then German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg promoted him on 30 June 2010 in Berlin to Major General.