Watch: Pentagon’s ‘Peace Through Strength’ Video Will Renew Your Faith in America’s Dominance

The Department of Defense released a powerful video over the Memorial Day weekend, touting the strength of the United States military that is sure to continue the recruiting surge seen under President Donald Trump.

The video, entitled “Peace Through Strength,” opened with airborne soldiers in a plane preparing to make a jump.

Scenes from different military branches — Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines — followed as the voice of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, “No more distractions. No more electric tanks, no more gender confusion. No more climate change worship. We are laser-focused on our mission of warfighting.”

Trump came in next, saying, “We will measure our success not only by the battles we win, but also by the wars we end, and perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into. It’s called peace through strength.”

The essence of “peace through strength” is the deterrence of wars. That is what President Ronald Reagan advocated when he employed the phrase in the 1980s during the nation’s largest peacetime military build-up.

“We know only too well that war comes not when the forces of freedom are strong, but when they are weak. It is then that tyrants are tempted,” Reagan said at the Republican National Convention in 1980.

In the “Peace Through Strength” video, Trump also said, “Through our power and might, we will lead the world to peace. Our friends will respect us. Our enemies will fear us. And the whole world will admire the unrivaled greatness of the United States military.”

The president pledged that “we will replenish the pride of our armed forces” and “end the recruitment crisis.”

Military.com reported last month that the Army has seen major recruiting momentum in 2025 following Trump’s election. As of mid-April, “the Army had enlisted 51,837 recruits, or 85% of its 61,000 target for fiscal 2025.” The fiscal year ends on Sept. 30.

“At this point in 2024, the Army had reached just 63% of its goal, pulling in 34,512 recruits,” the outlet added. During the first three years of the Biden administration, the Army, which is the largest branch of the military, did not reach its recruiting goals.

Task & Purpose reported in February that the Navy is set to meet its highest recruiting numbers in 20 years.

Trump spoke more about his administration’s work to get the military back on task during his West Point commencement address to the class of 2025 on Saturday.

“We’re getting rid of the distractions and we’re focusing our military on its core mission: crushing America’s adversaries, killing America’s enemies, and defending our great American flag like it has never been defended before,” he said.

“The job of the U.S. Armed Forces is not to host drag shows, to transform foreign cultures, or to spread democracy to everybody around the world at the point of a gun. The military’s job is to dominate any foe and annihilate any threat to America, anywhere, anytime, in any place,” Trump asserted.

Trump: “The job of the U.S. Armed Forces is not to host drag shows” pic.twitter.com/asc8Nzne9d

— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) May 24, 2025

The president further stated that his preference will always be for peace.

“But if the United States or its allies are ever threatened or attacked, the Army will obliterate our opponents with overwhelming strength and devastating force,” Trump said.

“That’s why my administration has begun a colossal buildup of the United States Armed Forces, a buildup like we’ve never had before. Peace through strength. You know the term, I’ve used it a lot,” he added, again drawing applause.

“Because as much as you want to fight, I’d rather do it without having to fight. I just want to look at them and have them fold. And that’s happening. That’s happening. And I’ve approved a $1 trillion investment. And that will be, again, the largest ever in the history of our country,” the president said.

He spoke of new redesigned planes, tanks, missiles, ships, drones, and a Golden Dome to protect America from missile attacks.

The commander-in-chief also addressed policy changes, saying, “We’ve liberated our troops from divisive and demeaning political trainings. There will be no more critical race theory or transgender for everybody forced onto our brave men and women in uniform or on anybody else, for that matter, in this country.” Again, the crowd applauded.

The new “Peace Through Strength” video and Trump’s remarks at the academy have the feel of the military when I joined the West Point Corps of Cadets in the mid-1980s under Reagan.

Godspeed, Mr. President, in your endeavor to Make America Great Again!

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