Lieutenant Colonel Simone Shen is the Commander of the 332d Training Squadron for the 637th Training Group. As the 332d Commander, she is the Dean of Academics for the Defense Language Institute English Language Center (DLIELC) at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. She directs the academic enterprise for the Department of Defense’s only English Language Training Program that provides English Language Training to military and civilian leaders from more than 110 countries annually.
She oversees more than 350 Air Force active-duty and civilian professionals engaged in English language instruction, curriculum development, and English language testing. The DLIELC’s academic mission has a global footprint, with its American Language Course curriculum and training materials in use every day by approximately 25,000 students participating in both in-resident and partner nation English Language Training programs around the world.
As a cornerstone of the Department of Defense’s Security Cooperation enterprise, DLIELC also administers and oversees more than 30,000 English Comprehension Level tests annually to participating partner nations personnel in U.S. Department of Defense-sponsored training, exercises, operations, military exchanges and developmental education programs.
Prior to assuming her current position, Lieutenant Colonel Shen was the Director of Air Force Programs, Office of Defense Cooperation in New Delhi, India, responsible for implementing U.S. defense and security policies vis-à-vis Indian Air Force and responsible for $11.6B in active and potential Foreign Military Sales cases. In her previous Foreign Area Officer tour, she served as the Country Director for NE Asia, with a focus on China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, for Pacific Air Forces’ Directorate of Strategy, Plans, and Programs.
Lieutenant Colonel Shen is a 2006 Distinguished Graduate of the University of Colorado’s ROTC program. She has been certified as a Level 3 in Science and Technology Management and Level 2 in Program Management by Defense Acquisition University. She is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and graduated from Defense Language Institute in Hindi.
EDUCATION
2006 Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO.
2010 Master’s degree in International Relations, St. Mary’s University, San Antonio, TX.
2012 Squadron Officer School, in-residence
2017 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2019 Foreign Area Officer Fellowship, in-residence
2021 Defense Language Institute – Washington
ASSIGNMENTS
1. August 2006 – November 2006, Student, Expeditionary Communications Officer Training, Keesler AFB, MS
2. November 2006 – November 2007, Officer in Charge, Command and Control Systems, 607th Air and Communications Squadron, Osan AB, ROK
3. November 2007 – May 2009, Electronic Warfare Engineer, 453d Electronic Warfare Squadron, Lackland AFB, TX (May 2009 – November 2009, Officer in Charge, Tactical Local Area Network, Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Arabian Peninsula, Camp Syverson, Iraq)
4. November 2009 – August 2011, Chief, Information Technology Operations, 453d Electronic Warfare Squadron, Lackland AFB, TX
5. August 2011 – May 2014, Team Lead, Intelligence Analysis, Air Force Research Laboratories, Kirtland AFB, NM (April 2013 – October 2013, Deputy Chief of Staff – Transitions, NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan, Camp Eggers, Afghanistan)
6. May 2014 – July 2017, Country Director, NE Asia, Pacific Air Forces, Hickam AFB, HI
7. July 2017 – December 2017, PM, Cyber Sustainment, Air Force Lifecycle Management Center, Hanscom AFB, MA
8. December 2017 – December 2018, PM, Enterprise Logging and Cyber Operations Based Rapid Analytics, Air Force Lifecycle Management Center, Hanscom AFB, MA
9. December 2018 – April 2020, PM, Network as a Service, Enterprise IT as a Service, Air Force Lifecycle Management Center, Hanscom AFB, MA
10. April 2020 – July 2021, Hindi Student, Defense Language Institute – Washington D.C.
11. July 2021 – July 2023, Director of Air Force Programs, Office of Defense Cooperation, New Delhi, India
12. July 2023 - Present, Commander, 332d Training Squadron, JBSA Lackland, TX
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 2021 – July 2023, Director of Air Force Programs, Office of Defense Cooperation, U.S. Embassy, India, as a lieutenant colonel
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Achievement Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 12, 2006
First Lieutenant June 27, 2008
Captain June 27, 2010
Major October 1, 2016
Lieutenant Colonel March 1, 2021
(Current as of July 2023)