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This thesis investigates the security policy motivations behind Sweden’s and Norway’s decisions to apply for NATO membership, focusing on how small countries justify their alliance choices in response to external threats. The study addresses a broader research problem in the field of war studies: how small countries react to changing geopolitical conditions and explain their security needs. Using Stephen M. Walt’s balance of threat theory as a theoretical framework, the thesis applies a qualitative and interpretive comparative case study of Sweden’s 2022 and Norway’s 1949 reasons that lead to applying to NATO. The analysis is based on official documents and public statements, structured around four threat indicators: aggregate power, geographic proximity, offensive military capability, and aggressive intentions. The findings reveal that in both cases, Russia (or the Soviet Union) was consistently perceived as the dominant threat across all dimensions, but with some differences in focus; Norway highlighted the immediacy of the threat because of its shared border with the Soviet Union, while Sweden focused on Russia’s regional reach and unpredictability. The study contributes to alliance theory by demonstrating how small countries' publicly stated security rationales align with theoretical expectations. It also offers new empirical insights into the rhetorical framing of alliance decisions at critical historical turning points.