According to US President Donald Trump, the US has chosen a design for the futuristic “Golden Dome” missile defence system, which will be operational by the end of his administration.
Trump announced his plans for the system, which would counter “next-generation” aerial threats to the US, such as ballistic and cruise missiles, just days after he returned to the White House in January.
A new budget bill has set aside an initial $25 billion (£18.7 billion), but the government has predicted that the total cost over many years will be far higher.
Authorities caution that current systems have not kept up with the ever-more-advanced weaponry that possible enemies may possess.
Additionally, President Trump declared that the project will be supervised by Space Force General Michael Guetlein. At Space Force, Gen. Guetlein serves as the vice chief of space operations.
The White House claimed that aerial attacks were still “the most catastrophic threat” facing the United States, so seven days into his second term, Trump directed the defence department to submit plans for a system that would defend and deter such attacks.
Trump stated during his Tuesday speech in the Oval Office that the system would include “next-generation” technologies in the land, sea, and space domains, such as sensors and interceptors based in space. Canada had requested to join the system, he continued.
Then-Canadian Defence Minister Bill Blair admitted that Canada was interested in taking part in the dome project during a visit to Washington earlier this year, stating that it “makes sense” and was in the “national interest” of the nation.
He went on to say that “Canada has to know what’s going on in the region” and that it must be mindful of the Arctic and other upcoming challenges.
“Capable even of intercepting missiles launched from the other side of the world, or launched from space,” Trump continued.
Israel’s Iron Dome, which has been employed to intercept rockets and missiles since 2011, served as some inspiration for the system.
However, the Golden Dome would be far bigger and built to withstand a greater variety of threats, such as fractional orbital bombardment systems, or Fobs, that could deliver warheads from space and hypersonic weapons that might travel faster than sound.
According to Trump, “all of them will be knocked out of the air,” “The success rate is very close to 100%.”
According to earlier statements made by US officials, the Golden Dome will enable the US to halt missiles at several points throughout their deployment, such as prior to launch and during flight.
According to US defence sources, the system’s numerous components will be unified under a single, centralised command.
Trump stated on Tuesday that a $25 billion initial investment would be needed for the program, which would eventually cost $175 billion. His One Big Beautiful Bill on taxes, which has not yet been passed, contains the first $25 billion.
However, according to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office, the government may end up spending up to $542 billion over 20 years on the system’s space-based components alone.
Officials at the Pentagon have long cautioned that new missile technology developed by China and Russia has outpaced the capabilities of current weapons.
Trump stated, “There really is no current system,” Tuesday in the Oval Office. “We have certain areas of missiles and certain missile defence, but there is no system… there has never been anything like this.”
According to a recent Defence Intelligence Agency briefing, China and Russia are aggressively developing systems “to exploit gaps” in US defences, meaning that missile threats “will expand in scale and sophistication.
