beat one's swords into plowshares

verb2

1. •
   To refrain from destructive military or paramilitary acts (war, terrorism, etc.) and put energy and resources to peaceful ends that would otherwise go to violence.

   • There are two choices before us: We can beat our plowshares into swords and prepare for war, or we can beat our swords into plowshares and prepare for peace. — 1947
2. •
   To convert military technologies to peaceful civilian applications.

   • Planning to beat swords into plowshares (Defense Conversion) and providing new, better swords to the current force means more to OSD than maintaining a capability to make more swords in a hurry. — 1994