Croatia emerged from war in the mid-1990s to embark on a path of accession to Euro-Atlantic institutions. The present thesis examines the connections between civil military and security sector reform, the consolidation of democracy, and the enlargement of NATO as it concerns this most pivotal nation of central and south eastern Europe. The thesis treats the multi-national process of alliance enlargement, relating this theme to the specific set of tasks faced by Croatian policy makers and soldiers in the 1990s and in the present. Further, the study analyzes the civil-military evolution and character of the Croatian armed forces, as well as the broader theme of security sector reform in Croatia, especially since the advent of democratic government in 2000. The thesis concludes with an assessment of the contributions of international organizations and bi-lateral aid, as well as a concise evaluation of the tasks yet to be performed by Croatia in the wake of the Prague 2002 North Atlantic Council series of invitations and what lies ahead in the next round of Alliance Enlargement perhaps in 2007.