- On Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced details about the "Golden Dome," an ambitious defense program that will put U.S. technology into space.
- The Golden Dome fulfills the dreams of defense developers and U.S. presidents, including Ronald Reagan, who had planned a similar system during the Cold War.
- The $175 billion price tag has attracted partisan backlash. Plus, preparing it in Trump's proposed timeline — about three years — is impossible, according to experts.
President Donald Trump just unveiled details on the “Golden Dome” — a futuristic missile defense program that will bring U.S. weapons to space at a cost of $175 billion.
Trump said Tuesday he had plans to finish the dome before the end of his term in 2029. The Golden Dome is intended to include ground- and space-based defense systems that can detect and intercept missiles before and during launch, while they are in the air, and just before they hit their target.
Trump expressed hope that by 2029 the Golden Dome will be able to intercept missiles “even if they are launched from space.”
Gen. Michael Guetlein, who is the vice chief of American space operations, will oversee the construction of the Golden Dome. Lockheed Martin won the contract last year to build the interceptor missiles, though it is unconfirmed if any other contracts have been awarded.
The Golden Dome signals the fulfillment of an American dream
Though “Golden Dome” may be a new moniker, Trump did not invent its concept on his own. Space-based missile defense has lingered in the dreams of American presidents since the Cold War, when then-President Ronald Reagan announced intentions to build a similar defense system.
“I know this is a formidable task, one that may not be accomplished before the end of this century,” said Reagan in 1983. “It will take years, probably decades of effort on many fronts.”
The Cold War ended before Reagan could finish construction on his defense system. Since then, the American military has labored on ground-based interception programs (via U.S. Patriot missiles) and interceptor missiles developed specifically to quash intercontinental warheads.
Technology may have not yet advanced enough to reliably intercept intercontinental ballistic missiles, even with the Golden Dome — though Trump’s timeline will require that the Department of Defense come up with technology that experts predict is still at least a decade away. For example, hypersonic missile interceptors are not expected to be functional until the 2030s.
Will the Golden Dome make America safer?
The Trump administration, which has been heavily involved in the peace processes in the Russia-Ukraine war, the Israel-Hamas war and the short-lived India-Pakistan war, is convinced of the necessity of the Golden Dome.
“Within the last four decades, our adversaries have developed more advanced and lethal long-range weapons than ever before, including ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles capable of striking the homeland with either conventional or nuclear warheads,” wrote Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in a public statement on Tuesday. “(The Golden Dome) represents a historic investment in American security and fulfills our duty to protect the homeland first and foremost.”
But the Golden Dome could be working against American safety, as it has triggered alarm from American enemies — specifically, from China and Russia. Beijing expressed displeasure with the Tuesday announcement, saying the Golden Dome “heightens the risk of space becoming a battlefield, fuels an arms race and undermines international security.”
Moscow has also reached out to Trump to discuss the program. On Tuesday, Trump said he had not yet answered the call, but planned to do so “at the right time.”
Beijing and Moscow have also released a joint statement condemning the Golden Dome as “deeply destabilizing” and turning space into an “arena for armed confrontation.” American defense reports indicate that both countries have reinvested in their weaponry programs, specifically to exploit flaws in American defenses.
However, China and Russia have allegedly already placed offensive weapons in space.
Paying for the Golden Dome
Trump has projected a $175 billion cost over the next “two-and-a-half to three years” and said he is confident that Congress will fully fund the Golden Dome, calling the process “easy.”
“It’s amazing how easy this one is to fund,” he said. “Some funding is tough and some is easy. When we say we’re going to save everyone’s lives in a crazy world, it seems to be very easy to get.”
However, $175 billion is just the construction cost. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the Golden Dome could cost taxpayers as much as $831 billion over the next 20 years.