Since the conclusion of the Cold War, the notion of ‘Arctic Exceptionalism’ has characterized the region’s unique norms, dynamics, and cooperative atmosphere. Rising tensions of recent decades have contradicted this idea as militarization and great power competition have permeated throughout the Arctic and climate change makes the region increasingly accessible. The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine challenged this notion further, leading to the most dramatic Arctic security realignment since the inception of NATO nearly 75 years ago – Swedish-Finnish NATO Accession. This research explores the impacts of Nordic NATO expansion in intensifying or mitigating Arctic security tensions by consulting with policymakers in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland to map each country’s strategic pathways moving forward. Three key findings are presented. First, all officials described a climate of increasing tensions and questioned the continuing validity of “Arctic Exceptionalism.” Second, countries with more experience engaging with Russia – Finland and Norway – viewed Nordic NATO expansion as reducing military tensions. Third, those without track records of cooperative engagement with Russia – Sweden and Denmark – believed Nordic NATO expansion could exacerbate regional tensions. To maintain peace in the region, two key policy actions should be taken. First, NATO should highlight the defensive nature of this expansion by avoiding deployments within Swedish and Finnish territories to allay Russian concerns. Second, the Arctic Council must expand its mandate to include discussion of hard security issues to provide a cooperative forum to address such challenges and prevent tensions from escalating.