Maj. Joseph Scholtz, a member of Air Force Reserve Command’s 706th Fighter Squadron at Nellis AFB, Nev., recently became the first Air Force Reservist to fly the F-35A strike fighter, according to a base release. He is an operational test pilot integrated into Nellis’ 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron and is currently Nellis’ only qualified F-35 pilot, states the March 15 release. “It’s great to be on the ground floor,” said Scholtz, who serves as test director for the squadron’s new F-35 division. As such, he is responsible for organizing ways to explore F-35A tactics and learning how to integrate the strike fighter with other airframes, according to the release. “Major Scholtz was a natural choice upon which to build our new F-35 division,” said Lt. Col. Ryan Suttlemyre, 422nd TES commander. “He is incredibly smart on the test process, a hard worker, and very detail oriented.” Scholtz has been a Reservist since 2009. He qualified in the F-35A at Eglin AFB, Fla. Nellis earlier this month received its first F-35As. Members of the Air National Guard already have flown the jet. (Nellis report by Maj. Jessica Martin)
The Defense Department hasn’t seen an increase in domestic violence reports among military families since the new coronavirus crisis began, despite the COVID-19 pandemic reportedly causing a spike in such activity across the globe, the head of the Pentagon’s Office of Military Family Readiness Policy told reporters Oct. 29. However,…