U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced he had selected a design for the Golden Dome missile defense system and a Space Force general to head the ambitious $175 billion program aimed at protecting the country against attacks, saying it should be operational by the end of his term.
Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said he expects the system will be "fully operational before the end of my term," which ends in 2029, and have the capability of intercepting missiles "even if they are launched from space."
"In the campaign, I promised the American people I would build a cutting-edge missile defense shield," Trump said. "Today, I am pleased to announce we have officially selected architecture for this state-of-the-art system."
"Once fully constructed, the 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," he said. "This is very important for the success and even survival of our country."
The program, first ordered by Trump in January, aims to create a network of satellites, perhaps numbering in the hundreds, to detect, track, and potentially intercept incoming missiles.
Trump also announced that Gen. Michael Guetlein, who currently serves as the vice chief of space operations, will be responsible for overseeing Golden Dome's progress.
Golden Dome is envisioned to include ground- and space-based capabilities that are able to detect and stop missiles at all four major stages of a potential attack: detecting and destroying them before a launch, intercepting them in their earliest stage of flight, stopping them midcourse in the air, or halting them in the final minutes as they descend toward a target.
For the last several months, Pentagon planners have been developing options – which a U.S. official described as medium, high and "extra high" choices, based on their cost – that include space-based interceptors. The official speaking to The Associated Press (AP) on condition of anonymity to detail plans that have not been made public. The difference in the three versions is largely based on how many satellites and sensors – and for the first time, space-based interceptors – would be purchased.
The Congressional Budget Office estimated this month that just the space-based components of the Golden Dome could cost as much as $542 billion over the next 20 years. Trump has requested an initial $25 billion for the program in his proposed tax break bill, now moving through Congress.
The Pentagon has warned for years that the newest missiles developed by China and Russia are so advanced that updated countermeasures are necessary. Golden Dome's added satellites and interceptors, where the bulk of the program's cost is, would be focused on stopping those advanced missiles early on or in the middle of their flight.
The space-based weapons envisioned for Golden Dome "represent new and emerging requirements for missions that have never before been accomplished by military space organizations," Gen. Chance Saltzman, head of the U.S. Space Force, told lawmakers at a hearing Tuesday.
Speaking at the White House news conference, Trump said the Golden Dome will "protect our homeland," adding that Canada had said it wanted to be part of it.
In a statement, the office of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he and his ministers were discussing a new security and economic relationship with their American counterparts.
"These discussions naturally include strengthening NORAD and related initiatives such as the Golden Dome," it added.
"Ronald Reagan wanted it many years ago, but they didn't have the technology," Trump said, referring to the space-based missile defense system, popularly called "Star Wars," that Reagan proposed.
The Golden Dome program faces both political scrutiny and funding uncertainty.
"The new datapoint is the $175 billion, but the question remains, over what period of time. It's probably 10 years," said Tom Karako of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Silicon Valley and U.S. software expertise can be leveraged to bring advances, while also using existing missile defense systems, he added.
Democratic lawmakers have voiced concern about the procurement process and involvement of Trump ally Elon Musk's SpaceX, which has emerged as a frontrunner alongside Palantir and Anduril to build key components of the system.
"The new autonomous space-age defense ecosystem is more about Silicon Valley than it is about 'big metal,'" Senator Kevin Cramer of North Dakota said at the White House event.
"So what's exciting about this is it makes it available to everybody to participate, to compete."
"Big metal" refers to legacy defense contractors.
The Golden Dome idea was inspired by Israel's land-based Iron Dome defense shield that protects it from missiles and rockets.
Trump's Golden Dome is much more extensive, including a massive array of surveillance satellites and a separate fleet of attacking satellites that would shoot down offensive missiles soon after lift-off.
Tuesday's announcement kicks off the Pentagon's effort to test and ultimately buy the missiles, systems, sensors and satellites that will constitute Golden Dome.
Trump said Alaska would be a big part of the program, while Florida, Georgia and Indiana would also benefit.
Many of the early systems are expected to come from existing production lines. Attendees at the press conference named L3Harris Technologies, Lockheed Martin and RTX Corp as potential contractors for the massive project.
L3 has invested $150 million in building out its new facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where it makes the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor satellites that are part of a Pentagon effort to better detect and track hypersonic weapons with space-based sensors and could be adapted for Golden Dome.
Golden Dome's funding remains uncertain. Republican lawmakers have proposed a $25 billion initial investment for the Golden Dome as part of a broader $150 billion defense package, but this funding is tied to a contentious reconciliation bill that faces significant hurdles in Congress.
"Unless reconciliation passes, the funds for Golden Dome may not materialize," an industry executive following the program, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters. "This puts the entire project timeline in jeopardy."
Commenting on the topic, China said on Wednesday it was "seriously concerned" about the project and urged Washington to abandon its development, according to a foreign ministry spokesperson.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, when asked about the project at a regular press conference, said it carries "strong offensive implications" and heightens the risks of the militarisation of outer space and an arms race.
"The United States, in pursuing a 'U.S.-first' policy, is obsessed with seeking absolute security for itself. This violates the principle that the security of all countries should not be compromised and undermines global strategic balance and stability. China is seriously concerned about this," Mao said. She urged Washington to abandon the development of the system as soon as possible and take actions to enhance trust among major powers.
The Kremlin said that Trump's plan for a "Golden Dome" missile shield required consultations with Russia but was otherwise a "sovereign matter" for the U.S., softening its tone after previously slamming the idea as destabilizing.
"This is a sovereign matter for the United States. If the United States believes that there is a missile threat, then of course it will develop a missile defense system," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday, adding the plan would require resuming nuclear talks with Washington.
