Leadership of 36th Wing, Joint Region Marianas, and the new Joint Task Force – Micronesia will change in May.
Air Force Brig. Gen. Thomas Palenske, commander 36th Wing, Andersen Air Force Base, will retire after 39 years of military service. Air Force Col. Charles Cooley, a command pilot, will assume command of 36th Wing at a change of command ceremony at Andersen Air Force Base, May 22. Cooley most recently served as deputy commander, 618th Air Operations Center, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois.
Navy Rear Adm. Brent DeVore, commander, JRM, a surface warfare officer, will leave Guam and assume command of Expeditionary Strike Group 3 in San Diego. Navy Rear Adm. Brett Mietus, a naval flight officer, will assume command of JRM during a ceremony at Guam High School on May 29. Mietus most recently served as commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Group in Norfolk, Virginia.
Rear Adm. Greg Huffman, the first commander of Joint Task Force-Micronesia, will report to Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, where he will assume command of Navy Education and Training Command. Navy Rear Adm. Joshua Lasky, a Navy SEAL, will take over Joint Task Force, according to a press release. Lasky recently served as the deputy director, Joint Interagency Task Force South at Naval Air Station Key West, Florida.
The Joint Task Force-Micronesia change of command ceremony will be held May 15 at the Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz Fitness Center.
Lasky’s role as the senior military officer in the region, will emphasize the Department of Defense’s support throughout the region, and bolster relationships with U.S. allies and partner nations in the joint operating area. The JTF-M joint operating includes U.S. territories — Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Wake Island — the Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau.
Joint Task Force-Micronesia was officially established on June 14, 2024, at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. Adm. Samuel J. Paparo, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, presided over the ceremony, in which Huffman was named as commander. mbj
Change of Command planned for Joint Task Force-Micronesia
Change of Command planned for Joint Task Force-Micronesia
- Date Posted: May 11, 2025
- News: Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau
-
Share this News
Change of Command planned for Joint Task Force-Micronesia
Recommended Articles...
Super Typhoon Bavi’s wind field puts all Marianas at risk; residents urged to use weekend window to prepare
With Super Typhoon Bavi now packing maximum sustained winds of 160 mph and forecast to strengthen further as it moves toward the Marianas, emergency officials are urging businesses and residents to treat this weekend as their critical window to prepare for potentially damaging winds.
Read More 
Guam, NMI enter COR 3; leaders urge residents to prepare as Typhoon Bavi approaches Marianas
Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are now in Condition of Readiness 3 as Typhoon Bavi approaches, with both governors urging residents and businesses to use the remaining hours of fair weather to prepare.
Read More 
FSM citizens enlist in US military, relationship remains strong with funding and aid
President Wesley W. Simina congratulated 17 young men and women from across the Federated States of Micronesia during an Enlistment Ceremony held at the U.S. Embassy compound on June 17.
Read More 
Good news for businesses and residents of the FSM and for grant recipients in the NMI and Guam
Vital FSM Petroleum Corp. welcomed the signing of Public Law No. 24-65 by President Wesley W. Simina on June 2 according to a June 4 release.
Read More