President Donald Trump has laid out new details of his ambitious plan for a multibillion-dollar “Golden Dome” missile defense system to protect the United States from foreign attacks, saying it should be complete before he leaves office.
“We’ll have it done in three years,” Trump told reporters as he detailed the plan in the Oval Office on Tuesday. “Once fully constructed, the Golden Dome will be capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from other sides of the world.”
High-profile defense contractors and tech companies – including Elon Musk’s SpaceX – are already jockeying for the job to build the shield, making pitches directly to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. But experts have also voiced skepticism about the timeframe and cost put forth by the White House – or even the feasibility of such a project.
The US administration has remained vague on its plans for developing the missile shield, which takes inspiration from Israel’s Iron Dome.
How it works: Israel’s Iron Dome defense system.
The mobile air defense system is made up of 10 batteries that each carry three to four maneuverable missile launchers, with each missile costing an estimated $40,000 to $50,000. Their strategic placement provides a defense barrier against rockets, mortars and drones for up to 60 square miles of populated areas and Israel has in the past claimed a success rate over 90%.
The project will cost about $175 billion, Trump said, and will be led by Gen. Michael A. Guetlein, vice chief of space operations at the United States Space Force. Trump said $25 billion dollars will be allocated from his sweeping spending cut and tax bill, which he’s pushing House Republicans to pass.
He also said “Canada has called us” wanting to be involved in the project and to be protected under the Golden Dome. In a statement provided to Reuters, the office of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that he and his ministers, along with their American counterparts, were discussing how to negotiate a new security and economic relationship between the two countries – which “naturally include strengthening NORAD and related initiatives such as the Golden Dome.”
Earlier in May, the Pentagon submitted small, medium and large options to the White House for developing the Golden Dome. Trump didn’t specify a final choice on Tuesday but said that they had “selected an architecture for this state-of-the-art system.”
