[4] The author Stephen Grey subsequently wrote a best selling book of the battle for Musa Qaleh called Operation Snakebite within which Mackay and his style of leadership featured.
[6] The brigade's tour of Helmand was controversial and led to considerable debate within military circles on the emphasis that Mackay placed on the role of influence and non-kinetic operations.
[11] Mackay was appointed General Officer Commanding 2nd Division and Governor of Edinburgh Castle in May 2009 but resigned only a few months later in September, citing "personal reasons".
Entitled 'The Lessons of War' he interviewed soldiers, senior US and British generals including David Petraeus, politicians and civil servants to understand if there was ever a high level strategy for the campaign.
[16] Mackay now runs a strategic advisory company – Complexas Ltd[17] – which provides specialist services to the international extractive industries, specifically in Africa.