The Scary Reagan.
Up until Donald Trump, Reagan was the President with the lowest approval ratings upon his inauguration, with just 51% of the country looking positively on him. No other President before him had a rating lower than 60% (Trump started at a mere 47%, the first President to take office with a majority of the adult population disapproving him on Day One).
After the economic (gas shortages and rampant inflation) and foreign affairs (Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan and US Embassy Crisis in Iran) disasters of the Carter administration people were ready for a strong hand. Even so Reagan's anti-Soviet/strong military were frightening to a lot of people. Most Europeans were practically hysterical in fear over what they saw as Reagan's "warmongering" tough talk.
Strong Defense Reagan
Reagan talked tough, but most people don't realize he hated nuclear weapons. For decades the world had been prisoner of the US vs Soviets policy of MAD - Mutually Assured Destruction. Each side had more than enough nuclear weapons to end life on Earth, with the theory being that no sane person would cross the line and push the button for the nuclear option. Reagan considered this insane.
Much of his push to expand the US military might and confront the Soviet Union was with the long term idea of getting rid of MAD. Reagan believed (correctly) that the Soviet Union was a paper tiger and if forced to match itself against the economic might of the US it would fail. Military spending ramped up and US military expanded. At the time I was a young soldier in the 101st Abn taking part or looking on to military actions in Granada, Panama and Libya among others. Meanwhile the world watched as Reagan stood by the Brandenberg Gate in Berlin and called "Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
Unable to continue to fund its massive military the USSR essentially gave up the fight, with Reagan and Gorbachev signing key Arms Agreements that drastically slashed nuclear arsenals. Within a few years the USSR and Eastern Europe imploded.
Reagan Military and Foreign Policy
Reagan believed the US was a special country. That America is the leader of the free world and cannot hide its head and let others control its destiny. That means it needs to have a strong military and have the grit and willingness to use it if necessary. To go out alone if needs be. But to also use it with responsibility.Reagan also oversaw the revamping of the military. When I entered the US Army it was an organization still reeling from the failures of the Vietnam War. Reagan urged the military leaders to set the mistakes of the past into the past, and look to building a military based on American values, Honor and Patriotism. Reagan reportedly was appalled when Bush approved the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques" (aka torture/waterboarding).
He was far from perfect. Reagan had a hands off attitude with his staff, assuming they were doing their jobs. Some White House staff weren't above doing something underhanded "for the greater good." His administration's most famous underhanded plot ended in the Iran-Contra Affair.
As a soldier I often ran past some fairly isolated barracks that were key to the Iran-Contra Affair. The US sold clandestine arms to Iraq (who was fighting a war with Iran at the time) and using the funds to bankroll Contra "freedom fighter" rebels then fighting against the Sandinista government of Nicaragua. In the barracks I ran by Nicaraguans (Contra fighters) and later Honduran (government troops) were trained to fight in their insurgencies back home.
