Air Vice Marshal Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes u ...

Teofilus Shaende is a

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and e ...

n military officer who is serving as the commander of the

Namibian Air Force The Namibian Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the Namibian Defence Force. It was commissioned on 13 March 2005 at Grootfontein Air Force Base. Accessed 2007/07/27 Following the independence of Namibia from South Africa in 1990, the Air ...

since 2020.

Civilian career

After completing school at Dr. Lemmer High School in Rehoboth, Shaende took employment with the

Ministry of Finance A ministry of finance is a part of the government in most countries that is responsible for matters related to the finance. Lists of current ministries of finance Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Finance (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Finance and ...

as a taxation officer. He resigned to join the military in 1999 as a recruit.

Military career

Shaende joined the

Namibian Defence Force The Namibian Defence Force (NDF) comprises the national military forces of Namibia. It was created when the country, then known as South West Africa, gained independence from South Africa in 1990. Chapter 15 of the Constitution of Namibia estab ...

in 1999 and undertook his six–months basic military training at the Osona Military School. After completion he did his private pilot's license at the

Westair WestAir Commuter Airlines (IATA:OE, VB/ICAO WCA, SDU), was a U.S.-based regional airline formed when Stol Air Commuter changed its name in 1978 to WestAir Airlines; it was renamed WestAir Commuter Airlines in 1986. One of the founders was Maur ...

flying training centre and received receiving his pilots wings in the same year. In 2001 he undertook the formative junior officers course in

Okahandja Okahandja is a city of 24,100 inhabitants in Otjozondjupa Region, central Namibia, and the district capital of the Okahandja electoral constituency. It is known as the ''Garden Town of Namibia''. It is located 70 km north of Windhoek on the ...

at the military school. In 2003 he then went to

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are ...

where he did the conversion and operation flying course with the

Zambian Air Force The Zambian Air Force (ZAF) is the air force of Zambia and the air operations element of the Zambian Defence Force. Following the creation of the Republic of Zambia in 1964, the former Northern Rhodesia Air Force was renamed as the Zambian Air ...

. In 2004 he did the Qualified Flying Instructor (QFI) course with the Zambian Air Force. In 2005 he was a Captain and appointed as second in command of 23 Squadron. In 2006 he was sent to China in preparation of Namibia's purchase of the F7-FT7 jet aircraft from

Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group The Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) or Chengdu Aerospace Corporation (CAC), a subsidiary of AVIC, is a Chinese aerospace conglomerate that designs and manufactures combat aircraft and is also a manufacturer of aircraft parts. It was foun ...

and did the FT-7 & F-7 aircraft ground school training. In 2008 he received a diploma of training in FT & F7 flying course in Namibia after qualifying on the F-7/FT-7 fighter jets, while in 2009 he did the K-8 instructor training. In February 2010 he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and appointed as air defence wing commanding officer during the commissioning of the F7 and FT7 fighter aircraft at Grootfontein Air Force Base. Afterwards he was promoted to

Group captain Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, where it originated, as well as the air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank i ...

following the reorganization of air force ranks and appointed as Chief of staff: Air operations & training at the air force headquarters. In 2016 after the deployment to

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

as defence attache of Air Commodore Paavo Kamanya. He was promoted to Air Commodore and appointed as deputy air force commander. On 1 April 2020 he was promoted to

and appointed air force commander.

Qualifications

*Certificate in Management Skills New Vision Consultancy * 2012 Diploma in Defence and Security Studies,

University of Zambia The University of Zambia (UNZA) is a public university located in Lusaka, Zambia. It is Zambia's largest and oldest learning institution. The university was established in 1965 and officially opened to the public on 12 July 1966. The language of ...

* 2012 Diploma Defence & Security Management Course,

Defence Academy of the United Kingdom The Defence Academy of the United Kingdom provides higher education for personnel in the British Armed Forces, Civil Service, other government departments and service personnel from other nations. The Director General of the Defence Academy is ...

* Certificate in Aviation Security Management and Organization,

International Air Transport Association The International Air Transport Association (IATA ) is a trade association of the world's airlines founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tar ...

* Certificate in Security Risk & Crisis Management and Bomb Threat Assessment,

* Certificate in Aviation Safety West Side Aviation

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

* 2013 Diploma Defence and Security Management Course, Command and Staff College

* 2014 Strike Operational Conversion,

Karibib Air Force Base Karibib Air Force Base is an air base near the central Namibian town of Karibib. Since 2016, the headquarters of the Namibian Air Force are located here. Air Force Command had previously been at the Grootfontein Air Force Base. See also * * *Li ...

* 2016 Diploma in Security and Strategic Studies, National Defence College

United Republic of Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

* 2016 Diploma in Security and Strategic Studies,

University of Dar Es Salaam The University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) is a public university in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It was established in 1961 as an affiliate college of the University of London. The university became an affiliate of the University of East Africa (UEA) in 1 ...

* 2018 Basic Military Law Course, Military School

Honours and Decorations

*Commendation Certificate for hard work * NAF Air Cadre Medal

Air Cadre medal * NAF Air Longevity Medal

Air Force Longevity medal * NAF Air Force exemplary medal

Air Force Commander's exemplary medal

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaende, Teofilus Living people Namibian Air Force air marshals 1977 births