Dr. J. Paul de B. Taillon is the Vice-Chair of the PIF Selection Committee and has over 40 years of academic, intelligence and military experience. Paul has operated as a practitioner and continues to provide advice as a theoretician in strategic leadership, national defence, terrorism, counterinsurgency and security issues.

He has extensive operational and field experience and provided expert advice to Canadian, American and British senior strategic leaders. During his 30-year career in the Canadian intelligence community, Dr. Taillon conducted operations in both the intelligence and counter-terrorism fields with organizations such as the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and Canada’s special forces unit, Joint Task Force 2 (JTF2).

He has operational experience with American, Canadian and British Special Operations Forces (SOF) and has served in Great Britain, United States, Oman, Bosnia, Kosovo, Ukraine and Afghanistan.

He conducted 22 foreign Military Training Team missions under US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) auspices and was an instructor at the NATO Special Operations School in Chievres, Belgium.

Dr. Taillon served as an army reserve officer in various command and staff functions, retiring as a colonel. During 2006-2013 he was the strategic/counterinsurgency advisor to the Commander Canadian Army. He currently serves as the Honorary Colonel of the Canadian Grenadier Guards.

Dr. Taillon is an adjunct professor at the Royal Military College of Canada, Senior Fellow at the Joint Special Operations University, a curriculum advisor at the University of Ottawa, and has published over 60 books and articles on national security issues. Dr. Taillon holds a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics and Political Science, a Master of Arts in War Studies (Royal Military College of Canada), a Master of Arts in International Affairs (Carleton University) and a Master of Arts in Strategic Studies (USAWC).