Alaska Department of Military & Veterans Affairs
10/01/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/01/2026 18:03
Pisano succeeds Cummings as 176th Maintenance Group commander
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska - The 176th Maintenance Group welcomed a new commander as Lt. Col. Jessica Pisano promoted to colonel and took the reins Aug. 5 from Col. Michael Cummings, who retired Aug. 6 after more than 30 years in uniform.
Brig. Gen. Joshua Armstrong, commander of the 176th Wing, presided over Pisano's promotion and the change of command, hosted together in one ceremony at Hangar 18.
"When looking for someone to command a group this complex, you need a master of the craft," Armstrong told the audience, citing Pisano's 22-year career as a maintenance officer, five prior squadron commands and experience across a dozen airframes, from the B-2 Spirit bomber to the F-22 Raptor fighter. "She was an absolute no-brainer choice for this position."
Pisano, who earned a master's degree in engineering, has served in the active-duty Air Force, the Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard in New York and Alaska. She has also been published in Joint Force Quarterly. Armstrong said her path to service traces back to Sept. 11, 2001, which she witnessed from her college campus across the Hudson River.
In her first remarks as commander, Pisano credited Cummings with building the culture she inherited.
"'We maintain excellence' - those aren't just words," she said. "They're the culture you've built, the standard this organization holds itself to every single day."
She told the group that her approach to command would be built on listening and deference to Airmen's expertise.
"My job is not to redefine excellence - it's to protect it, strengthen it and remove obstacles so our maintainers can do what they do best," she said, adding later: "Rank doesn't fix airplanes, experience does, knowledge does, teamwork does."
During the ceremony, Armstrong presented Cummings with a Legion of Merit for his command tenure. Cummings's leadership ensured search-and-rescue crews flying HH-60G/W Pave Hawk/Jolly Green II and HC-130J Combat King IIs logged more than 1,150 alert hours and helped save 332 lives, while the group's C-17 Globemaster IIIs flew more than 14,600 hours, moving 37 million pounds of cargo in support of exercises and real-world operations.
The following day, the group hosted a separate ceremony to formally mark Cummings' retirement, where he received an Alaska Legion of Merit along with a Presidential certificate of appreciation.
Cummings, a Kodiak native who spent years as a commercial fisherman before joining the Alaska Air National Guard, flew C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft and logged 99 combat missions before taking command of the 144th Airlift Squadron. He later made an unusual career pivot from pilot to maintenance officer, a move Armstrong called "the definition of service before self."
Cummings was also credited with leading the group's response to Typhoon Halong, which struck western Alaska and displaced more than 1,500 residents. Maintainers under his command helped generate the aircraft that carried out what officials called the largest airlift operation in state history, delivering more than 21,000 pounds of emergency supplies. He also oversaw a $600 million conversion of the unit's HH-60 fleet to the newer "Whiskey" model.
In his farewell remarks, Cummings thanked the maintainers he led and singled out his wife, Tish, for her support through his career, comparing her role to that of a wing's mission support group.
"We have accomplished our mission always as a team," he said. "I love you, and today we retire from the military and continue our amazing adventure."
The 176th Maintenance Group traces its lineage back 70 years, and Armstrong told the gathered airmen that the unit's mission has only grown more complex, from the group's earliest aircraft to today's fleet of C-17s, HC-130Js and HH-60s.
"You've got an incredible legacy in your rearview mirror," Armstrong said, "and right here you have a highly capable leader stepping up to guide you forward."
Brig. Gen. Joshua Armstrong, commander of the 176th Wing, presided over Pisano's promotion and the change of command, hosted together in one ceremony at Hangar 18.
"When looking for someone to command a group this complex, you need a master of the craft," Armstrong told the audience, citing Pisano's 22-year career as a maintenance officer, five prior squadron commands and experience across a dozen airframes, from the B-2 Spirit bomber to the F-22 Raptor fighter. "She was an absolute no-brainer choice for this position."
Pisano, who earned a master's degree in engineering, has served in the active-duty Air Force, the Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard in New York and Alaska. She has also been published in Joint Force Quarterly. Armstrong said her path to service traces back to Sept. 11, 2001, which she witnessed from her college campus across the Hudson River.
In her first remarks as commander, Pisano credited Cummings with building the culture she inherited.
"'We maintain excellence' - those aren't just words," she said. "They're the culture you've built, the standard this organization holds itself to every single day."
She told the group that her approach to command would be built on listening and deference to Airmen's expertise.
"My job is not to redefine excellence - it's to protect it, strengthen it and remove obstacles so our maintainers can do what they do best," she said, adding later: "Rank doesn't fix airplanes, experience does, knowledge does, teamwork does."
During the ceremony, Armstrong presented Cummings with a Legion of Merit for his command tenure. Cummings's leadership ensured search-and-rescue crews flying HH-60G/W Pave Hawk/Jolly Green II and HC-130J Combat King IIs logged more than 1,150 alert hours and helped save 332 lives, while the group's C-17 Globemaster IIIs flew more than 14,600 hours, moving 37 million pounds of cargo in support of exercises and real-world operations.
The following day, the group hosted a separate ceremony to formally mark Cummings' retirement, where he received an Alaska Legion of Merit along with a Presidential certificate of appreciation.
Cummings, a Kodiak native who spent years as a commercial fisherman before joining the Alaska Air National Guard, flew C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft and logged 99 combat missions before taking command of the 144th Airlift Squadron. He later made an unusual career pivot from pilot to maintenance officer, a move Armstrong called "the definition of service before self."
Cummings was also credited with leading the group's response to Typhoon Halong, which struck western Alaska and displaced more than 1,500 residents. Maintainers under his command helped generate the aircraft that carried out what officials called the largest airlift operation in state history, delivering more than 21,000 pounds of emergency supplies. He also oversaw a $600 million conversion of the unit's HH-60 fleet to the newer "Whiskey" model.
In his farewell remarks, Cummings thanked the maintainers he led and singled out his wife, Tish, for her support through his career, comparing her role to that of a wing's mission support group.
"We have accomplished our mission always as a team," he said. "I love you, and today we retire from the military and continue our amazing adventure."
The 176th Maintenance Group traces its lineage back 70 years, and Armstrong told the gathered airmen that the unit's mission has only grown more complex, from the group's earliest aircraft to today's fleet of C-17s, HC-130Js and HH-60s.
"You've got an incredible legacy in your rearview mirror," Armstrong said, "and right here you have a highly capable leader stepping up to guide you forward."
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