Rear Adm. Joshua Lasky greets a Navy corpsman in Limon, Costa Rica, July 22, 2024, Lasky took command of Joint Task Force-Micronesia on May 15, 2025. (Jasmin Aquino/U.S. Navy)
A Navy SEAL with a distinguished background in special operations has taken command of Joint Task Force-Micronesia, a unit overseeing U.S. military operations across a broad expanse of the southwestern Pacific Ocean.
Rear Adm. Joshua Lasky relieved Rear Adm. Greg Huffman on Thursday during a change-of-command ceremony in the fitness center at Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz.
“This region has long been the linchpin of American presence and partnership in the Pacific,” Huffman said at the ceremony, livestreamed on Facebook. “Guam, in particular, holds a unique place in our national defense, known as the ‘tip of the spear.’ It is a symbol of our enduring commitment to the Indo Pacific security and stability.”
Joint Task Force-Micronesia — the Defense Department’s first two-star command in the region in over 70 years — was founded last year and is responsible for coordinating defense and humanitarian missions in the region. It answers directly to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
Its primary focus includes the U.S. territories of Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and Wake Island, along with the independent Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands and Palau.
Huffman, who left Joint Region Marianas to become the task force’s first commander in June 2024, reflected on his time leading both commands.
“It is one team, and it is one Guam; it is one Marianas and one Micronesia,” he said. “It has been the honor of my career to lead Joint Task Force-Micronesia during a time of both challenge and opportunity.”
Rear Adm. Greg Huffman greets South Korean navy Rear Adm. Dong-Lae Kim in December 2024. Huffman handed command of Joint Task Force-Micronesia to Rear Adm. Joshua Lasky on May 15, 2025. (Samantha Jetzer/U.S. Navy)
Before relinquishing command, Huffman received several honors, including the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Guam Governor’s Award, an exceptional service citation, and a certificate of special congressional recognition.
“This task force represents not just a command, it represents a commitment to the defense of our homeland and to the values of freedom and democracy that we all share,” he said, adding that its strategic importance could not be overstated. “Micronesia is a bridge between peoples and a bulwark against coercion.”
Huffman is slated to lead Navy Education and Training Command at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida.
Lasky described the defense of the region as a “living legacy” built on “trust, shared history and common purpose.”
“Their legacy is one of courage, commitment and an unshakable belief in our shared values,” he said. “We stand at the foundation that they built, and we carry their example forward. We remain steadfast in our obligation under the compacts of free association.”
Lasky previously served as commander of Joint Interagency Task Force-South in Key West, Fla. A 1994 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, he began his career as a surface warfare officer before transferring to Naval Special Warfare. He completed Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training with Class 223 in June 1999m according to his Navy bio.
His operational assignments included SEAL Team 4, platoon commander of SEAL Team 2, task unit commander for SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 2, executive officer of SEAL Team 1 and commander of SEAL Team 10.
Lasky also served as deputy commander for the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan, commander of Naval Special Warfare Unit 10 and Naval Special Warfare Group 4.
He holds a master’s degree in military studies from Marine Corps University in Quantico, Va.
