Master Sergeant Michael Threatt served on an operational detachment alpha from 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group in Paktika Province, Afghanistan, from June 2005 through February 2006 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. In this interview, he talks about the cultural and ethnic diversity amongst the various Afghan regions, the existence of ethnic divisions within the Afghan National Army (ANA), the slow pace of operations they imposed on their Afghan unit, and the lack of experience, especially within the leadership, of most ANA units. He also discusses the process of turning a unit's leadership into effective leaders, the poor level of maintenance, equipment and logistics in the ANA, the lack of communications, and the institutional resistance to common-sense or off-the-shelf fixes. Threatt closes this interview by emphasizing the importance of minimizing the difference in living conditions between the Americans and the ANA, the crippling effect of the Afghan personnel accountability standards, and the capability of the ANA to get things done in their own fashion.

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