"Peace through strength" is a conservative slogan supporting military

Military

A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...

 strength for the purpose of creating peaceful international relations.

For supporters of the MX missile in the 1970s, the missile symbolized "peace through strength." The phrase was popular in political rallies during 1988. The idea is a major justification cited for large militaries, and also served as the primary motivation behind the Cold War

Cold War

The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...

 doctrine of mutually assured destruction.

Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan

Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....

 used the phrase in political campaigning during his election challenge against Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter

James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...

, accusing the incumbent of weak, vacillating leadership that invited enemies to attack the USA and its allies. Reagan later considered it one of the mainstays of his foreign policy as President of the United States

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

. Since Reagan's presidency, the non-profit American Security Council Foundation

American Security Council Foundation

The American Security Council Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by John M. Fisher that seeks to influence United States foreign policy by "Promoting Peace through Strength". The ASCF was formed in 1958, and was originally known as the Institute for American Strategy...

 has sought to influence United States foreign policy by promoting the idea. The Heritage Foundation

Heritage Foundation

The Heritage Foundation is a conservative American think tank based in Washington, D.C. Heritage's stated mission is to "formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong...

 has used the term in print.

For Andrew Bacevich

Andrew Bacevich

Andrew J. Bacevich, Sr. is a professor of international relations at Boston University and a retired career officer in the United States Army...

, "belief in the efficacy of military power almost inevitably breeds the temptation to put that power to work. 'Peace through strength' easily enough becomes 'peace through war.'"

Jim George of Australian National University

Australian National University

The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...

 used the term to describe part of what he argued was the Straussian

Leo Strauss

Leo Strauss was a political philosopher and classicist who specialized in classical political philosophy. He was born in Germany to Jewish parents and later emigrated to the United States...

 and neoconservative foreign policy of the G.W. Bush administration.