Trump unveils USD 175 billion ‘Golden Dome’ missile defence plan for US

WASHINGTON, DC: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) announced new details about his administration’s USD 175 billion large-scale missile defence initiative, the “Golden Dome”, noting that it would be fully operational in under three years, as reported by The Hill.

According to The Hill, Trump, while speaking from the Oval Office, said that the US had finalised the system’s architecture, which will be overseen by Vice Chief of Space Operations General Michael Guetlein.

Trump claimed the defence shield would integrate seamlessly with existing capabilities and be completed before the end of his second term.

“This design for the Golden Dome will integrate with our existing defence capabilities and should be fully operational before the end of my term. So we’ll have it done in about three years,” Trump said, as quoted by The Hill.

“Once fully constructed, Golden Dome will be capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from other sides of the world and even if they are launched from space, and we will have the best system ever built,” he added.

Trump also noted that Canada has shown interest in joining the initiative and expressed openness to collaboration.

During the announcement, Trump was joined by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and GOP Senators Dan Sullivan, Jim Banks, and Kevin Cramer. They were flanked by posters showing a golden shield over the US and a quote, “This is a Very Dangerous World,” as reported by The Hill.

As per The Hill, the Golden Dome, initially announced in January, will receive a preliminary USD 25 billion allocation under a GOP-backed reconciliation bill. However, funding remains uncertain amid resistance from both conservative and moderate Republicans who are pushing for changes to the legislation.

Though Trump claimed the total cost would be USD 175 billion, the Congressional Budget Office has estimated that, due to its technological complexity, the full system could exceed USD 500 billion over the next two decades.

The system is expected to counter intercontinental threats from nations like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.

Democrats have raised ethical concerns about the potential involvement of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, citing his advisory role in the Trump administration and possible conflicts of interest, The Hill reported.

Trump mentioned several states that are likely to participate in the programme, including Alaska, Florida, Georgia, and Indiana, each with defence or space infrastructure. Potential contractors could include Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and L3Harris Technologies.

Insisting the project would be entirely made in the US, Trump said it would be modelled after Israel’s Iron Dome, though scaled up to counter long-range threats.

While critics argue that the US already has strong missile defences, such as interceptors in Alaska and air defence systems like Terminal High Altitude Area Defence and NASAMS, Trump maintained that the Golden Dome would add a critical new layer of protection.

Trump also noted that the “Golden Dome” initiative was something that Ronald Reagan, the 40th US President and a Republican, would want. He further reiterated his campaign promise to the American people to build such a missile defence shield to protect against foreign threats.

“Ronald Reagan (40th US President) wanted it many years ago, but they didn’t have the technology. But it’s something we’re going to have. We’re going to have it at the highest level…In the campaign, I promised the American people that I would build a cutting-edge missile defence shield to protect our homeland from the threat of foreign missile attack. And that’s what we’re doing today,” Trump stated. (ANI)