Golden Dome: On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump shared more details about his “Golden Dome” missile defense system, which he said would cost about $175 billion in total. Trump announced that the “Golden Dome” would become the first US weapon deployed in space and said it should be operational by the end of his current term, about three years from now.

He confirmed that his team had finalized the design for the advanced defense system, which he had introduced just days after returning to the White House in January. The Republican leader said the system would counter “next-generation” aerial threats to the US, including cruise and ballistic missiles.

“During the campaign, I pledged to the American people that I would build a state-of-the-art missile defense shield,” Trump said at the White House. “Today, we have officially selected the architecture for this cutting-edge system.”

What is the Golden Dome System?

The Golden Dome missile shield system will detect, track, and stop missiles at various stages of their flight by using both space- and ground-based technology. It may even destroy missiles before launch or intercept them midair. Trump emphasized that the new system is “very important for the success and even survival” of the United States. He said that once completed, the shield would intercept missiles launched from space or anywhere on Earth.

Trump also said the Golden Dome would incorporate next-generation technologies across land, sea, and space, including space-based sensors and interceptors.

Standing alongside Trump, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said the Golden Dome would integrate with existing ground-based defense systems and shield “the homeland from cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles, drones, whether they’re conventional or nuclear.”

Missile Cost & Completion:
The Congressional Budget Office predicts that the system will cost more than $500 billion. Trump, however, has only announced $25 billion in initial funding for the plan thus far, claiming that it may ultimately cost up to $175 billion.

According to Trump, the system will be up and running by the end of his term in office, which is approximately three years away. But according to Forbes, the project’s expenses would be covered over 20 years.

General Michael Guetlein of the US Space Force will spearhead the endeavor, according to Trump. Before joining the Space Force in 2021, Guetlein, a four-star general, served in the Air Force for thirty years. According to reports, he specializes in space systems and missile defense.

The Golden Globe’s Concept

The Iron Dome air defense system in Israel, which has been in operation since 2011, has intercepted thousands of short-range rockets and other projectiles, hence the plan’s Golden Dome name. The short-range weapons that Israel’s Iron Dome is intended to neutralize are very different from the different missile threats that the United States faces from its enemies. China and Russia are becoming more dangerous, according to the 2022 Missile Defense Review.

Who Is Against the Plan?

Earlier this month, China and Russia denounced the Golden Dome idea as “deeply destabilizing,” claiming it might convert space into a “battlefield.”

It “explicitly provides for a significant strengthening of the arsenal for conducting combat operations in space,” the Kremlin stated in a statement following the two sides’ discussions.

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