Shen Yi-ming (; 30 March 1957 – 2 January 2020) was a Taiwanese military officer who served as a

Republic of China Air Force The Republic of China Air Force ( Chinese, 中華民國空軍), or the ROCAF; known colloquially as the Taiwanese Air Force ( Chinese, 臺灣空軍) by Western or mainland Chinese media, or commonly referred as the National Military Air Force ...

general and the Chief of the General Staff, Deputy Minister of National Defense for Policy, and Commander of the ROC Air Force. On 2 January 2020, he was killed in a military helicopter crash while on a routine mission.

Early life and education

Shen was born in Shilin,

Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

in 1957. His ancestral home is in

Yixing Yixing () is a county-level city administered under the prefecture-level city of Wuxi in southern Jiangsu province, China, and is part of the Yangtze Delta, Yangtze River Delta. The city is known for its traditional Yixing ware, Yixing clay ware t ...

Wuxi Wuxi ( zh, s=无锡, p=Wúxī, ) is a city in southern Jiangsu, China. As of the 2024 census, it had a population of 7,495,000. The city lies in the southern Yangtze delta and borders Lake Tai. Notable landmarks include Lihu Park, the Mt. Lings ...

Jiangsu Jiangsu is a coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the List of Chinese administra ...

. He graduated from the

Republic of China Air Force Academy The Republic of China Air Force Academy (CAFA; ) is the service academy for the air force of the Republic of China (Taiwan), and is located in Gangshan District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. History Mainland China The Republic of China Air Force Acade ...

in 1979, where his general officer classmates included General Wu Wan-chiao (吳萬教) and Lieutenant General Ko Wen-an (柯文安). He graduated from the

Air Command and Staff College The Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) is located at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama and is the United States Air Force's intermediate-level Professional Military Education (PME) school. It is a subordinate command of the Air Un ...

in 1992 and from the

Air War College The Air War College (AWC) is the senior Professional Military Education (PME) school of the U.S. Air Force. A part of the United States Air Force's Air University (United States Air Force), Air University, AWC emphasizes the employment of air, ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 2002.

Military career

He trained in Saudi Arabia for one year as part of the Peace Bell Program (known as Great Desert Program in Taiwan), active between 1975 and 1990. After the

acquired Mirage 2000-5 jets from France in the 1990s, he was one of the first Taiwanese pilots to be trained in their operation. Shen held positions in the

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

such as the Deputy Commander of the Office of the Deputy Joint Chief of the General Staff in Intelligence, Air Force Combatant Command, Deputy Chief of the Air Force Staff, Deputy Minister of National Defense for Administrative Affairs, and served as Commanding General of the Air Force from 1 February 2015 to 1 March 2018.

Deputy Defense Minister and Chief of the General Staff

Shen succeeded Admiral Pu Tze-chun as vice minister of defense for policy in March 2018, serving under Yen Teh-fa. As vice defense minister, Shen promoted international military exchanges with the United States. In regards to

United States President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed For ...

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

, he has stated “We greatly appreciate that the US is willing to review our military sales requests on a case-by-case basis, instead of the bundling approach carried out previously", referring to military exchanges between the US and Taiwan. Shortly after that comment, Taiwan signed a US$330 million deal to upgrade 144 F-16 fighter jets to the F-16V standard. In July 2019, Shen replaced Admiral Lee Hsi-ming as Chief of the General Staff of the

Republic of China Armed Forces The Republic of China Armed Forces ( zh, t=中華民國國軍) are the national military forces of the Taiwan, Republic of China (ROC), which is now based primarily in the Taiwan Area but Republic of China (1912–1949), formerly governed Mai ...

Death

Shen was killed in a helicopter accident on 2 January 2020 in the Wulai District of

New Taipei New Taipei City is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality located in regions of Taiwan, northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 4,004,367 as of January 2023, making it the most populous city in Taiwan, a ...

. The Black Hawk Shen was traveling in lost contact with Songshan military airbase at 8:07 AM, thirteen minutes after taking off. The helicopter was carrying three crew, nine officers—including Shen—and a correspondent from the Military News Agency. Seven others of those aboard the helicopter were also killed in the crash, including two Major Generals, while five others were injured and survived. Shen's remains were cremated on 14 January 2020, and buried at

Wuzhi Mountain Military Cemetery The Wuzhi Mountain Military Cemetery (, sometimes romanized as ''Wuchih'') is Taiwan's most prominent military cemetery. The cemetery is located on Wuzhi Mountain () at an elevation of in Xizhi, New Taipei City and borders Taipei City's Neihu ...

. A memorial ceremony for the crash victims was held at Songshan Air Force Base on 14 January 2020. On January 3, Shen was posthumously awarded the

Order of Blue Sky and White Sun Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

with Grand Cordon, and promoted to

Full General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED Online. ...

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Tsai Ing-wen Tsai Ing-wen (; pinyin: ''Cài Yīngwén''; born 31 August 1956) is a Taiwanese politician and legal scholar who served as the seventh president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2016 to 2024. A member of the Democratic Progressive Party ...

. The

Ministry of National Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divide ...

awarded Shen a National Emblem Medal.

Awards

Order of the Cloud and Banner with Special Cravat *

Order of Loyalty and Diligence * Medal of the Brilliant Light, B-Second Class

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shen Yi-Ming Republic of China Air Force personnel 21st-century Taiwanese people 1957 births 2020 deaths Air War College alumni Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Taiwan Victims of helicopter accidents or incidents National Defense University (Republic of China) alumni Recipients of the Order of Blue Sky and White Sun Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 2020