(Dr. Maloney in Afghanistan aboard to board a CH-47 during Operation JALEY in 2009)
Dr. Sean M. Maloney is a Professor of History at the Royal Military College and served as the Historical Advisor to the Chief of the Land Staff during the war in Afghanistan. He previously served as the historian for 4 Canadian Mechanized Brigade, the Canadian Army’s primary Cold War NATO commitment after the re-unification of Germany and at the start of Canada’s long involvement in the Balkans. Dr. Maloney has extensive field experience in that region, particularly in Croatia, Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia from 1995 to 2001, where he inadvertently observed the activities of the Al Qaeda organization and its surrogates. His work on the Balkans was interrupted by the 9-11 attacks. From 2001 Dr. Maloney has focused nearly exclusively on the war against the Al Qaeda movement and its allies, particularly on the Afghanistan component of that war. He traveled regularly to Afghanistan from 2003 to 2014 to observe and record coalition operations and concurrently served as an advisor to a number of organizations operating in that country. He was the first Canadian civilian military historian to go into combat since the Second World War. With Canada’s involvement in Afghanistan winding down, Dr. Maloney returned to teaching at Royal Military College. Building on his groundbreaking work dealing with Canada and nuclear weapons, he also returns to his first and primary area of interest, the long, difficult, and in many ways, still secret Cold War.
When it comes to my profession, I share Danny Elfmans’ philosophical outlook on his creative journey.
Thinking about doing a PhD? Read THIS carefully first.