On Tuesday, President Trump announced the launch of the ambitious “Golden Dome” missile defense plan, totaling $175 billion, which is expected to be completed during his term. This plan is seen as the most ambitious anti-missile system since the Cold War, aimed at defending against “next-generation aerial threats” from China and Russia.
The “Golden Dome” system will be deployed on land, at sea, and in space, integrating “next-generation technologies,” including space sensors and laser interception devices, to detect, track, and destroy ballistic and hypersonic missiles. Trump has appointed US Space Force General Michael Guetlein to oversee the project and coordinate all design and technical planning.
Inspired by Israel’s “Iron Dome” land-based missile defense system used since 2011, the American version of the design will be larger in scale and more versatile, capable of addressing various threats including hypersonic weapons and the “Fractional Orbital Bombardment System” (FOBS) which launches warheads from space.
These devices will form a network consisting of hundreds of satellites, some equipped with laser weapons capable of intercepting missiles in their initial stages of launch.
Trump stated that the system will be able to intercept missiles “from the other side of the Earth, and even those launched from space.” Pentagon officials mentioned that all subsystems will fall under a single command structure for unified coordination.
Although the technology is not yet mature, Trump emphasized that the US possesses the industry and talent to realize this concept. He pointed out, “We have the most advanced technology globally… An opponent once told me: the smartest people in the world are in Silicon Valley.”
The total budget for the “Golden Dome” project is $175 billion, and Trump stated that it will be “fully operational” before his term ends in January 2029. $25 billion has already been included in Trump’s tax reform and budget reduction bill as the initial budget for the project. However, the bill is still pending congressional approval.
According to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), if the “Golden Dome” project includes space interception technology, the total cost may require an investment of $542 billion over the next 20 years, far exceeding current estimates.
Despite this, Trump believes that the difficulty of obtaining funding support for this project in Congress will be much lower compared to other bills.
Trump said, “President Reagan had this idea many years ago, but the technology wasn’t mature at that time.”
Canada has shown willingness to participate in the project, expressing their desire to receive similar protection. Negotiations between the US and Canada will address the cost issue.
Former Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair stated earlier this year in Washington that participating in the project is “logical” and aligns with Canada’s “national interests,” especially focusing on potential threats in the Arctic region.
Potential contractors including SpaceX, Palantir, Anduril, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon Technologies Corporation have been named, indicating their possible involvement in building the core components of the system.
Lockheed Martin has already established a dedicated webpage, showing readiness to engage in this “Manhattan Project-level” mission.
However, the US military has not yet signed formal agreements with any specific companies.