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This paper aims to provide an understand of the development of the Nordic Defence Cooperation, Nordefco, from a security and defence cooperation with mainly economical aims, a “smart defence”, to a security and defence cooperation with joint operational capabilities during conflict and crisis. By using the regional security complex theory, the paper analyses the patterns of enmity and amity, securitisation and security interdependence among the Nordic countries, Russia and the US, by a process tracing, in order to get a comprehensive overview of the narrative regarding the development of Nordefco. The paper finds out that it was the changing security environment in the Baltic Sea that led to the development of Nordefco, but also penetration by Nato and the US as well as close international cooperation that led Nordefco to its current position.