{{short description|American Air Force Lieutenant general}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}{{Use American English|date=December 2024}} {{Infobox military person | name = Scott L. Pleus | image = Lt Gen Scott L. Pleus (2).jpg | image_size = | alt = | caption = Official portrait, 2024 | nickname = Rolls<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dvidshub.net/news/378325/introducing-rolls-quick-glance-inside-seventh-air-force-commander|title=Introducing Rolls: A quick glance inside the Seventh Air Force commander|date=2020-09-22|access-date=2021-07-02|website=DVIDS}}</ref> | birth_date = {{circa|{{birth year and age|1967}}}} | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | burial_place = | allegiance = United States | branch = [[United States Air Force]] | branch_label = Branch | service_years = 1989–present | rank = [[Lieutenant general (United States)|Lieutenant General]] | service_number = | unit = | commands = [[Seventh Air Force]]<br/>[[56th Fighter Wing]]<br/>[[8th Fighter Wing]]<br/>[[611th Air and Space Operations Center]]<br/>[[63rd Fighter Squadron]] | battles = | awards = [[Defense Distinguished Service Medal]]<br/>[[Air Force Distinguished Service Medal]]<br/>[[Legion of Merit]] (4) | alma_mater = [[University of Minnesota-Duluth]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]]) [[Air Command and Staff College]] ([[Master of Arts|MA]]) [[Auburn University]] ([[Master of Arts|MA]]) | relations = | other_work = }} '''Scott L. Pleus''' (born {{circa|1967}}) is a [[Lieutenant General (United States)|lieutenant general]] in the [[United States Air Force]]. He serves as the [[director of staff of the United States Air Force]],<ref name="biography">{{cite web |url=https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/485691/lieutenant-general-scott-l-pleus/ |title=Lieutenant General Scott L. Pleus (USAF) |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=May 14, 2021 |publisher=[[United States Air Force]] |access-date=August 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514042136/https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/485691/lieutenant-general-scott-l-pleus/ |archive-date=May 14, 2021 |url-status=live}} {{PD-notice}}</ref> where he synchronizes and integrates policy, plans, positions, procedures, and cross functional issues for the headquarters Air Force staff. During his tenure, he served as the acting [[Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force]] from February 2025 to February 2026.
==Air Force career== Pleus received his commission in 1989 through the Air Force [[ROTC]] program at the [[University of Minnesota Duluth]]. During his career, he has commanded at the squadron, group and wing levels and was a Secretary of Defense Corporate Fellow at Sun Microsystems in California. His staff assignments include Executive Officer to the [[Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force]]. Prior to his current assignment, he was the deputy commander of [[United States Forces Korea]], commander of the Air Component Command, [[United Nations Command]], commander of the Air Component Command, Combined Forces Command, and commander of the [[Seventh Air Force]] at [[Osan Air Base|Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea.]]
=== Flight career === Pleus is currently a [[Command pilot|Command Pilot]] with more than 2,500 operational hours in the sky. He has flown combat missions including during [[Operation Desert Fox|Operations Desert Fox]] and [[Operation Southern Watch|Southern Watch]]. Over his lengthy Pilot career he has flown the F-35, F-16 C/D, AT-38, T-38, and T-37.
==Education== * 1989 Bachelor of Arts, Communications, University of Minnesota-Duluth 1997 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. * 2000 Master of Military Operational Arts and Science, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 2000 Master of Arts, International Relations, Auburn University-Montgomery, Ala. * 2002 Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., by correspondence * 2008 Secretary of Defense Corporate Fellow, Sun Microsystems, Menlo Park, Calif. * 2010 U.S. Air Force Enterprise Leadership Seminar, Darden School of Business, University of Virginia, Charlottesville 2015 Capstone General and Flag Officer Course, National Defense University, Washington, D.C. * 2015 Joint Force Air Component Commander Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 2018 Joint Flag Officer Warfighting Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
==Assignments== * March 1990 – March 1991, Student, undergraduate pilot training, Columbus Air Force Base, Miss. * April 1991 – December 1992, Student, F-16 Replacement Training Unit, MacDill AFB, Fla. * January 1993 – January 1996, F-16 Pilot, 18th Fighter Squadron, Eielson AFB, Alaska * January 1996 – December 1996, F-16 Flight Examiner and Instructor, 35th Fighter Squadron, Kunsan Air Base, South Korea * January 1997 – June 1999, Flight Commander, F-16 Flight Examiner and Instructor, 34th Fighter Squadron, Hill AFB, Utah * June 1999 – June 2000, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. * July 2000 – September 2000, Student, Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk Naval Air Station, Va. * September 2000 – November 2002, Joint and Combined Contingency Plans Officer, Alaskan Command, Plans and Programs, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska * November 2002 – April 2003, Student, F-16 requalification training, 61st Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz. * May 2003 – June 2004, Operations Officer, 56th Training Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz. * June 2004 – June 2006, Commander, 63rd Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz. * 12, June 2006 – June 2008, Director, Headquarters AETC Command Action Group, Randolph AFB, Texas * June 2008 – July 2009, Secretary of Defense Corporate Fellow, Sun Microsystems, Menlo Park, Calif. * July 2009 – May 2011, Commander, 611th Air and Space Operations Center, JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska * May 2011 – May 2012, Commander, 8th Fighter Wing, Kunsan AB, South Korea * June 2012 – June 2014, Executive Officer to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. * June 2014 – June 2016, Commander, 56th Fighter Wing, Luke AFB, Ariz. * July 2016 – May 2017, Director, F-35 Integration Office, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. * June 2017 – May 2019, Director, Plans, Programs, and Requirements, Headquarters Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va. * June 2019 – June 2020, Director of Air and Cyberspace Operations, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii * June 2020 – January 2024, Deputy Commander, United States Forces Korea; Commander, Air Component Command, United Nations Command; Commander, Air Component Command, Combined Forces Command; and Commander, Seventh Air Force, Pacific Air Forces, Osan AB, Republic of Korea * January 2024 – February 2025, Director of Staff, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. * February 2025 - February 2026, acting Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. * February 2026 - present, Director of Staff, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
==Effective dates of promotions== {| class="wikitable" |+ ! Rank<ref name="biography" /> !! Date |- ||{{Dodseal|USAFO1|115}} [[Second lieutenant (United States)|Second Lieutenant]]||2 November 1989 |- ||{{Dodseal|USAFO2|115}} [[First lieutenant (United States)|First Lieutenant]]||2 November 1991 |- ||{{Dodseal|USAFO3|115}} [[Captain (United States)|Captain]]||2 November 1993 |- ||{{Dodseal|USAFO4|115}} [[Major (United States)|Major]]||1 July 1999 |- ||{{Dodseal|USAFO5|115}} [[Lieutenant colonel (United States)|Lieutenant Colonel]]||1 March 2003 |- ||{{Dodseal|USAFO6|115}} [[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]]||1 August 2008 |- ||{{Dodseal|USAFO7|115}} [[Brigadier general (United States)|Brigadier General]]||11 July 2014 |- ||{{Dodseal|USAFO8|115}} [[Major general (United States)|Major General]]||2 May 2018 |- ||{{Dodseal|USAFO9|115}} [[Lieutenant general (United States)|Lieutenant General]]||12 June 2020 |}
==References== {{commons category}} {{reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-mil}} {{s-bef|before=[[Dean R. Clemmons]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Executive Officer of the [[Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force]]||years=2012–2014}} {{s-aft|after=[[Heather L. Pringle]]}} {{s-bef|before=[[Michael D. Rothstein]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Commander of the [[56th Fighter Wing]]||years=2014–2016}} {{s-aft|after=[[Brook J. Leonard]]}} {{s-bef|before=???}} {{s-ttl|title=Director of the F-35 Integration Office of the [[United States Air Force]]||years=2016–2017}} {{s-aft|after=[[Todd Canterbury]]}} {{s-bef|before=[[Russell L. Mack]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Director of Plans, Programs, and Requirements of the [[Air Combat Command]]||years=2017–2019}} {{s-aft|after=[[Patrick J. Doherty]]}} {{s-bef|before=[[Stephen C. Williams]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Director of Air and Cyberspace Operations of the [[Pacific Air Forces]]||years=2019–2020}} {{s-aft|after=[[Lansing Pilch]]}} {{s-bef|before=[[Kenneth S. Wilsbach]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Commander of the [[Seventh Air Force]]||years=2020–2024}} {{s-aft|after=[[David R. Iverson]]}} {{s-bef|before=[[Kevin B. Schneider]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Director of Staff of the United States Air Force]]||years=2024–2025}} {{s-inc}} {{s-bef|before=[[James C. Slife]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force]]<br />{{small|Acting}}||years=2025–2026}} {{s-aft|after=[[John D. Lamontagne]]}} {{s-bef|before=[[Scott L. Pleus]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Director of Staff of the United States Air Force]]||years=2024–2025}} {{s-inc}}
{{s-end}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pleus, Scott L.}} [[Category:Air Command and Staff College alumni]] [[Category:Auburn University alumni]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Recipients of the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal]] [[Category:Recipients of the Legion of Merit]] [[Category:United States Air Force generals]] [[Category:University of Minnesota Duluth alumni]] [[Category:1967 births]] [[Category:Vice chiefs of staff of the United States Air Force]] [[Category:Lieutenant generals]]