Wu Shih-wen
| Wu Shih-wen | |
|---|---|
| 伍世文 | |
| Minister of National Defense of the Republic of China | |
|
In office 20 May 2000 – 1 February 2002 | |
| Preceded by | Tang Fei |
| Succeeded by | Tang Yao-ming |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
24 July 1934 (age 82) Taishan, Kwangtung |
| Nationality |
 Republic of China |
| Political party |
 Kuomintang |
Wu Shih-wen (Chinese: 伍世文; pinyin: Wu Shìwén) was the Minister of National Defense of the Republic of China in 2000-2002. He was a career Military officer, joining the Taiwanese Army first as an Infantry conscript in 1951, then as an Artillery Lieutenant in 1955, and later entering the Army Aviation Corps as a Helicopter pilot in 1963. He was one of the first Taiwanese military pilots to qualify on and fly the Bell UH-1 Iroquois Helicopter. He was the Commander of the 21 Artillery Regiment between 1978 and 1981, and then commander of the 602 Air Cavalry Brigade between 1981 and 1985. Between 1985 and 1989 he was the rector of the Army Artillery School, and was promoted to Commander of the Aviation and Special Forces Command in 1989, and as Commander of the 6th Army Corps in 1993. He became the Chief Commander of the Army in 1996, Chief of General Staff in 1998 and the Defense Minister in 2000. He was considered to be a military and foreign policy hawk, who resisted military reforms and rapprochement with the People's Republic of China[1]