Sima Xueyin

Sima Xueyin (: 司馬雪垠; born 7 August 1964) is a Kodeshi () who serves as the current chief of staff of the Army. He became Chief of the General Staff in March 2018, replacing General Deng Hao (鄧浩). He has previously served in the Imperial Kodeshi Army's elite special forces unit, the 1st Special Forces Regiment. In his early career he was involved with various operations and counter-terrorism missions.

Early life and education
Sima Xueyin was born on 7 August, 1964 in Zhongbin Province. His father, Sima Guojiu (司馬國舅), was a retired major general from the Imperial Kodeshi Army. His mother, Zhang Yanqing (張彥青), was a primary school teacher. Xueyin graduated from high school at the top of his class and entered Jianxi University with an army sponsored degree in to study physics, international relations and political science where he served as vice president of the student council. He graduated with honours.

Military career
Sima Xueyin was commissioned into the Kodeshi Army in 1982. He then spend three years studying at Jianxi University. He was promoted to platoon leader after two years' service. He returned to the university to study for a master's degree in international relations. After graduating, he was posted to the military district command in Songhari. In 1987, he joined the special forces unit of the 1st Special Forces Regiment, the unit responsible for carrying out sensitive operations and counter-terrorism missions. In this role he saw action in the during the Insurgency operations in northwest Kodeshia.

In 1990, he was promoted to captain and assigned to the 2nd Company of the First Special Forces Regiment. By 1993, he had reached the rank of major and was posted as chief of staff to the First Battalion of the Special Forces Regiment, a unit which conducted both combat and special operations.

In 2001, Xueyin became head of the 1st Special Forces Regiment. In 2006, he was named deputy commander of the 1st Army Group, the main unit of the Imperial Kodeshi Army. He was promoted to major general in 2009. In 2011, he was given the title of senior colonel. The following year, he became commander of the 1st Special Forces Regiment. In March 2018, Xueyin was promoted to general and appointed chief of staff of the Army. He replaced General Deng Hao, who retired after having served as the Kodeshi Army's chief of staff since 2015.

Personal life
Sima Xueyin is married to Li Xiaoyi (李小毅), who works as a physician in a military hospital. They have one daughter. He is a member of the Imperial Kodeshi Army Sports Club. He is known to be an avid reader and collector of rare books. His hobbies include playing chess and writing poetry.