Assuming you has to choose between:
- the use of military force to resolve foreign policy situations instead of diplomacy
- the willingness to use sparse military forces to support diplomatic efforts
- the use of a strong military only for defense against a direct attack
- the willingness to use a large standing, modern military as a show of strength
The answer is: "the willingness to use a large standing, modern military as a show of strength."
Hard power is all about direct influence: coercion. It is the possibility to resort to military or economic force in a country's dealings with other countries.
For example, the U.S.' strike against general Qassem Suleimani in Iraq on January 3rd, 2020 was an act of hard power against Iran, by which the U.S. was reaffirming its no-tolerance stance on Iran's terroristic actions.
