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Newsmaker: Ex-pilot to lead military

Air force General Lee Tien-yu (李天羽) is used to second chances.

If media rumors are to be believed, after he resigned as chief of the general staff -- the military's top post for a serving officer -- Lee was originally destined for a cushy job as representative to Singapore.

But the Singaporean government is said to have complained that as a career military officer, he was an inappropriate choice.

Now, he has been confirmed as the new national defense minister -- a position in which having a lifelong military officer serve is frowned upon in most democracies. History is rife with examples, from ancient Rome to 1930s Japan, of democracies failing because of a lack of civilian control over the armed forces.

But Lee, a former fighter pilot, is no stranger to walking away unscathed when the odds are against him: One of the most remarkable aspects of his career as a pilot is that he narrowly escaped death in three seperate crashes.

Lee was born in Linzi (臨淄), Shandong Province, China, on May 23, 1946.

He graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1959, completing all necessary training courses and receiving his pilot's wings in 1965.

Lee will take his oath of office on Monday, when newly designated premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) formally takes up his post.

Few insiders were surprised at Lee's selection as head of the military, as he has a long history with the president.

In 1993, Lee became director of the Air Force Command Headquarters' Legislative Communications Office. This was when Lee met and got to know President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), who was a legislator at the time.

In 1995, Lee was chosen as the chief instructor at the Air Force Command Headquarters. In 1996, he became director of the Political Warfare Department. In 1998, he was promoted to major general, and became the head of the Air Combat Command.

In 2001, the president promoted him to lieutenant general, and Lee became the deputy commander-in-chief of the Air Force. One year later, he was promoted again to full general, becoming the commander-in-chief of the Air Force.

In 2004, Chen promoted Lee to the highest rank in the armed forces, giving him his fourth star and assigning him as chief of the general staff.

Lee left that position on Feb. 1, becoming a military adviser to the president.

Lee was regarded as one of Chen's favorite high-ranking military personnel, because Chen promoted him from major general to four-star general in seven years, while the process usually takes around 20 years.

Rumors about Lee Tien-yu being at odds with current defense minister Lee Jye (李傑) abounded, but were never confirmed. Lee Tien-yu always tried to keep a low profile.

Sources said that Lee Tien-yu and Lee Jye began quarrelling when Lee Tien-yu was trying to secure a promotion for his younger brother, Lee Tien-yi (李天翼), who is now a lieutenant general and the top instructor in the air force.

The Chinese-language China Times reported that Lee Tien-yu was trying to make Lee Tien-yi to deputy chief of general staff, and to give him his third star in January. This proposal was declined by Lee Jye because of concerns about favoritism, the report said.

Lee Tien-yu is known for his humble and sincere attitude.

A Ministry of National Defense source told the Taipei Times that Lee Tien-yu's humility was the reason that he had become one of the president's favorite service members when they first met at the legislature back in 1994.
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