While Cousteau eventually left the navy, Tailliez was a career officer. In 1945 he became the first commanding office of GRS, which was the first military unit to use the aqualung. All future military and civilian diving using the aqualung was based on the work of GRS at this period and their research was translated into many languages. Tailliez went on to author several books on diving, was still diving at 90 years of age, and passed away at age 97 with over three quarters of a century of service to the sport.