and the Combat Infantryman Badge. After his tour in Afghanistan, Mullaney served in the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), in Arlington, Virginia. At this elite ceremonial unit, he planned portions of the 2005 Presidential Inauguration, marched in reviews for foreign dignitaries, and managed a team of Pentagon-funded software engineers developing management software for small units in the Army. In the summer of 2005, Mullaney joined the faculty of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, as a history instructor and Army Exchange Officer. He designed and taught an undergraduate course on the history of the U.S. Navy and American foreign policy. He left the Army in 2008 upon completion of his tour at the Naval Academy. Public service Mullaney was on the national security staff of Barack Obama's presidential campaign, and served as the Chief of Staff of the United States Department of Defense Transition Team under co-chairs Michele Flournoy and Dr. John P. White. He worked as the Principal Director for Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia for the Department of Defense from May 2009 to April 2010. In April 2010, he was appointed as a senior advisor on Afghanistan and Pakistan issues to the United States Agency for International Development. Author Mullaney wrote The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education, an autobiographical look at preparing for the responsibility of leading men in combat and the hard-won lessons of that experience. Reviewer Janet Maslin of The New York Times noted the "searing detail" of the Afghanistan combat description, and concluded that the memoir's "impact" comes from its account of "the inner journey of a man who is at first eager to learn as much as he can from service and scholarship. Later on he learns from his mistakes." References External links The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education, amazon.com Interview on The Unforgiving Minute, pritzkermilitary.org 1978 births Living people United States Army personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Writers from Rhode Island United States Military Academy alumni Bishop Hendricken High School alumni Alumni of Lincoln College, Oxford American Rhodes Scholars American male writers Date of birth missing (living people) Rhode Island Democrats United States Army officers United States Naval Academy faculty United States Department of Defense officials Catholics from Rhode Island