Afghanistan's security sector reform (SSR) process and particularly the development of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) continues to suffer from deficits in manpower and expertise, both on the parts of the Afghan government and international community. It has also been slowed by myopic training goals that discount the importance of community engagement and civilian protection under the auspices of NATO's counterinsurgency strategy, and rising expectations for ANSF performance that outstrip the pace of institutional reform. This Security Sector Reform Monitor: Afghanistan edition examines trends in SSR in the context of an increasingly pressurized security environment and a rapidly expanding zone of military operations, with an emphasis on the ANSF's role in the present counter-insurgency strategy and its relationship with the Afghan public.