In a significant announcement on Tuesday, President Donald Trump unveiled a proposal for a multibillion-dollar missile defense system known as the ‘Golden Dome,’ indicating a target operational date of approximately three years.
During a press briefing in the Oval Office alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Trump stated, “Once fully constructed, the Golden Dome will be capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from the other side of the world and even from space. We will have the best system ever built.”
The president elaborated on the project, noting, “We have officially selected an architecture for this state-of-the-art system that will deploy next-generation technologies across land, sea, and space, including space-based sensors and interceptors.”
Overseeing this ambitious initiative will be U.S. Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein, the vice chief of space operations.
President Trump estimated the overall cost of the Golden Dome project at around $175 billion, with an initial allocation of $25 billion earmarked in the upcoming year’s defense budget.
Describing the project as “very important for the success and even survival of our country,” Trump acknowledged the global security risks, saying, “It’s an evil world out there.”
Additionally, Trump mentioned that Canada has expressed interest in participating in the initiative.
For several months, the president has advocated for a missile defense system for the United States that would be similar to Israel’s Iron Dome. In a speech before Congress in March, he urged lawmakers to prioritize funding for this advanced defense mechanism.
Earlier this year, Trump signed an executive order aimed at establishing “The Iron Dome of America,” shortly after taking office.
While Trump remains hopeful that the project will reach completion before the end of his term, analysts have voiced skepticism about the feasibility of implementing such an extensive defense system in a country that is over 400 times larger than Israel.
