Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Scott L. Pleus?

Scott Pleus is an operating executive who has built his career on a single conviction: an organization’s confidence in its own readiness is only as good as the last time someone actually tested it. That conviction was forged over three decades of command in the United States Air Force, retiring as a Lieutenant General and the longest-serving Acting Vice Chief of Staff in the role’s 79-year history. His command experience spans every level of scale — from a single division, to a joint international operation, to the number-two position in a 680,000-person global organization with $240 billion of budget authority. Earlier in his career he commanded Seventh Air Force, served as Deputy Commander of U.S. Forces Korea, and led the 56th Fighter Wing and the 8th Fighter Wing.

Is Scott Pleus still on active duty?

No. Pleus is retired from the U.S. Air Force. His final assignment was as Director of Staff, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, during which he performed the duties of Vice Chief of Staff from February 2025 until Gen. Lamontagne’s confirmation to that post in February 2026.

Was Scott Pleus the Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force?

Pleus performed the duties of Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force on an acting basis, in his capacity as the three-star Director of Staff, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, from February 2025 to February 2026 — a period of roughly eleven months during which the position remained formally vacant following a leadership change and a subsequently withdrawn nomination. That tenure makes him the longest-serving Acting Vice Chief of Staff in the role’s 79-year history. Gen. Lamontagne was confirmed as Vice Chief in February 2026.

Where is Scott Pleus from?

Pleus is from Superior, Wisconsin, and has returned to the area to speak with local students about his Air Force career, as covered by the Superior Telegram in March 2022.

What is Scott Pleus’s call sign?

He was known as “Rolls” by his fellow fighter pilots — a call sign noted in a DVIDS feature profiling him shortly after he assumed command of Seventh Air Force in 2020.

What is Readiness Architecture?

Readiness Architecture is Scott Pleus’s name for the discipline he has run at every scale of his career: an organization’s confidence in its own readiness is only as good as the last time someone actually tested it. In practice that means the daily standard a leader enforces — visibly, consistently, with no exceptions — is the most reliable leading indicator of whether an organization performs under pressure. Not the strategy on the wall. Not the culture initiative. The daily standard. His own summary of the standard: trust what’s tested, not what’s told.

What does “accountable, not responsible” mean?

It’s Pleus’s own distinction for the standard he holds himself and his organizations to. Responsibility is meeting your assigned duties; accountability is owning the outcome regardless of cause. Across every scale he has commanded — a single division, a joint international operation, and the number-two position in a 680,000-person global organization — there was no such thing as a plausible excuse for being wrong about readiness. Accountable, not responsible, is the standard that follows from that.

What scale has Scott Pleus operated at?

His command experience is the civilian equivalent of running large, high-consequence operations at every level of scale — from a single division, to a joint international operation, to the number-two position in a 680,000-person global organization with $240 billion of budget authority. In every one of those roles, the product was readiness, and there was no such thing as a plausible excuse for being wrong about it.

What is the 60-day turnaround?

Pleus made a habit of showing up unannounced to see an organization as it actually ran day to day, rather than trusting a scheduled review. That habit paid off when he inherited a struggling unit: he gave its two senior leaders a clear deadline and clear ownership of the turnaround, and in sixty days, the unit had rebuilt the standard for itself.

Why did Scott Pleus question a self-assessment that had never produced a failure?

Early in his career, Pleus noticed that a particular self-assessment had never once produced a failure. Rather than take that as good news, he treated it as a signal that the test itself needed to evolve — a self-assessment with a perfect record isn’t evidence of readiness, it’s evidence the test has stopped measuring anything real. He built a new version of the check that measured actual readiness instead of rehearsed readiness, and kept refining it even when the organization pushed back, because he was committed to the standard underneath it, not just the version of it that was easiest to pass.

Is Scott Pleus available for board, advisory, or executive roles?

Yes. Pleus brings Readiness Architecture to boards, operating-partner roles, and divisional CEO seats where the question is whether an organization is actually ready or only appearing ready. Inquiries can be directed through the contact page.

Is Scott Pleus a fighter pilot?

Yes. He’s a career F-16 pilot who also flew the F-35, and held fighter wing command at both the 8th Fighter Wing (Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, 2011) and the 56th Fighter Wing (Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, 2014) before advancing to numbered air force and joint command.

What was Scott Pleus’s role in Korea?

Pleus commanded Seventh Air Force and served as Deputy Commander, U.S. Forces Korea, based at Osan Air Base, beginning in 2020 — his third assignment to South Korea, following earlier tours in 1996 and 2011. During his tenure he addressed the alliance’s response to regional security developments, including discussing the domestic political reverberations of the January 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol attack in a February 2021 AFA webinar, and spoke at a June 2023 symposium marking 70 years of the ROK-U.S. alliance.

Did Scott Pleus command 7th Air Force more than once?

No. Pleus commanded Seventh Air Force once, beginning in June 2020. Over his career he had three total assignments to South Korea — in 1996, 2011, and 2020 — with 2020 being his Seventh Air Force command and service as Deputy Commander, U.S. Forces Korea.

What was Scott Pleus’s role at the Pentagon?

Pleus served as Director of Staff, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, a senior three-star position on the Air Staff. In that role, he performed the duties of Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force from February 2025 to February 2026, addressing force readiness, no-notice inspection policy, and aircraft readiness challenges in public Air Force forums.

Is Scott Pleus related to another 7th Air Force commander?

No. Pleus is not related to another Seventh Air Force commander. A January 2024 Stars and Stripes article headlined “F-15 pilot follows in father’s footsteps as commander of 7th Air Force” covered the change of command as Pleus departed the post — the “father’s footsteps” reference in that headline is about the incoming commander’s own family history, not Pleus’s.

Why did Scott Pleus perform the duties of Vice Chief of Staff?

Pleus, as the most senior three-star general officer on the Air Force staff, began performing the duties of Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force in February 2025 following a leadership change at the top of the service. The position remained vacant for roughly eleven months — a period that included the withdrawal of at least one nominee for the post — before Gen. Lamontagne was confirmed as Vice Chief in February 2026. That eleven-month span makes Pleus the longest-serving Acting Vice Chief of Staff in the role’s 79-year history.

What did Scott Pleus say about Air Force readiness?

In January and February 2026 remarks reported by Air & Space Forces Magazine, Pleus — performing the duties of Vice Chief — discussed the rationale for new no-notice unit readiness inspections and addressed broader structural challenges facing Air Force aircraft readiness.

Has Scott Pleus appeared in defense media?

Yes. Pleus has appeared in Air & Space Forces Magazine, Stars and Stripes, InsideDefense.com, Aviation Week, and DVIDS coverage spanning his commands in Korea and his most recent role on the Air Staff. A full list is available on the Media & Coverage page.

Has Scott Pleus spoken at public forums or symposiums?

Yes. Pleus has spoken at the Air Force Association’s “Air and Space Warfighters in Action” webinar series, the Yonhap News Symposium marking 70 years of the ROK-U.S. alliance, and panels on Indo-Pacific base defense and Air Force readiness. A full list is available on the Speaking & Events page.

Does Scott Pleus have a LinkedIn profile?

Yes. Pleus maintains a LinkedIn profile featuring first-person posts related to his career: linkedin.com/in/scottpleus.

Is this the same Scott Pleus who works in finance?

No. General search results for the name “Scott Pleus” also surface a private individual in the finance and commodities industry (a Chief Operating Officer at a proprietary trading firm). That individual is unrelated to Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Scott L. Pleus, USAF, and no information about him is included on this site.

How can I get in touch with Gen. Pleus?

You can reach out via the contact page.

Is Scott Pleus available for speaking engagements?

Inquiries regarding speaking engagements, advisory roles, or media requests can be submitted through the contact page.