Providence - Maj. Gen. Kevin McBride set one big goal when his unit was deployed to Iraq in 2005 and tasked with taking over the notorious Abu Ghraib prison: no headlines.

"With everything that had occurred, my thought was we should judge our success by how little people heard about us," McBride said. "We treated inmates with respect and dignity. There was no way we were going to let what happened happen again."

McBride said he hopes to bring the same quiet professionalism to his new role as Rhode Island's next adjutant general. As the state's top military officer, McBride will lead the state's National Guard and emergency management agency.

Gov. Lincoln Chafee picked McBride for the job this month. Chafee said McBride's long and varied resume was a key factor in his decision.

"It's a big job," Chafee said of the adjutant general. "I have every confidence Maj. Gen. McBride is up to the task. He has the diverse resume and experience we need."

Born in East Providence, R.I., the 53-year-old McBride wears his hair cut close in military fashion. On the day of his interview he showed up at the Statehouse in fatigues.

"You would never know this guy is a major general," said Bristol Town Council Chairman Kenneth A. Marshall.

McBride graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a degree in civil and environmental engineering. He recently left a position as vice president of engineering at the firm of Caputo & Wick to become director of public works in Bristol, R.I.

But this engineer is also a trained Army pilot who commanded an attack helicopter battalion. He deployed to Iraq in 2005 as the commanding general for the 43rd Military Police Brigade. The unit oversaw prison facilities in Iraq, including Abu Ghraib.

"I'm an Army aviator," he joked. "I couldn't even spell the word "MP."'

His unit assumed control of Abu Ghraib a year after graphic photos detailed prisoner abuse by American guards. The prison was transferred to Iraqi control in 2006. During his year in Iraq, McBride's unit oversaw the training of 1,500 Iraqi correctional officers.

McBride is currently the commander of the U.S. Army North's Contingency Command Post 1 at Fort Sam Houston in Texas. The Contingency Command Post's mission is to respond quickly to natural or manmade disasters and coordinate the military response.

McBride succeeds Adjutant General Robert Bray, who was appointed to the position in 2006. Bray called McBride "a natural selection" for the post.

Just last month, McBride took over as director of public works in Bristol. Marshall said McBride had worked with the city for several years on various engineering projects and the town jumped at the chance of hiring him full-time. Marshall called McBride's departure "bittersweet."

McBride and his family live in Rehoboth, Mass., just over the state line. He and his wife Colleen have two daughters, Kelley and Shannon. The family is looking for a new home in Rhode Island, McBride said.

In 2009, McBride ran for and won a seat on Rehoboth's Board of Selectmen. He said he wanted to improve how the town was managed, but his stint in city government was a short one. He abruptly resigned in January.

McBride's brief foray into politics didn't impress Selectman Don Leffort.

"He was a quitter," Leffort said. "To be a leader in the military and then to quit on your troops, that's not what you do. He may be good in the military, but I don't think politics and the military mix."

McBride said he resigned because of "major philosophical differences" he had with Leffort and other town officials.

But he agrees with Leffort on one point: politics and the military are two different worlds. He doesn't plan to mix the two as adjutant general.

"It needs to be a military job," McBride said. "You need to understand how state government works, but this isn't a political job."

McBride cited the state's budget constraints and continuing overseas deployments as key challenges facing the state's National Guard and emergency management agency. He'll lead 3,300 men and women in the state's Air National Guard and the Army National Guard, as well as the civilian emergency management agency.

He'll be sworn into office in early July after helping Bristol weather its annual Fourth of July celebration. McBride is already thinking ahead to his new job, wondering what unforeseeable disaster he needs to prepare for.

"Last year it was floods, this year it could have been tornados," he said. "Who knows what it could be in the future."

AP-WF-06-19-11 1622GMT