Norkin was born in
Beit She'arim to
olim of Romanian-Jewish origin. His maternal grandfather was among the founders of
Nahalal and his paternal grandfather was one of the first members of Agudat Hashomrim. Norkin is named after his father's cousin, Amikam Shamai, who was killed on May 16, 1966, when his jeep drove over a Syrian landmine. He attended
WIZO Agricultural High School in
Nahalal. He was drafted into the IDF Armoured Corps in 1985, and graduated from the
IAF Flight Academy course 113 as a fighter pilot in July 1987. replacing Major General
Amir Eshel. Norkin completed his term as commander of the IAF on April 4, 2022. He was succeeded by
Tomer Bar. He is the co-founder and managing partner at Ace Capital Partners, an Israeli aerospace and defense tech fund. Norkin is married and has three daughters. ==Awards and decorations==