(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday unveiled plans to begin building a sophisticated new missile defense shield that could intercept threats from space, estimating the endeavor would cost some $175 billion and become operational in three years.
The project “Golden Dome,” which will be led by Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein, echoes President Ronald Reagan’s failed “Star Wars” program, which was criticized for being overly ambitious and siphoning money away from other national priorities. The White House cited advancements in technology as a reason why some of Reagan’s vision was now possible.
“This design for the Golden Dome will integrate with our existing defense capabilities and should be fully operational before the end of my term,” Trump said in announcing the plan. “So we’ll have it done in about three years. 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.”
Trump began calling for a U.S. missile defense shield similar to Israel’s Iron Dome a year ago on the campaign trail after watching Israel deflect some 300 missiles and drones amid Iran’s attacks that spring. Military officials said at the time that they hadn’t expressed a need for such a comprehensive shield to defend the U.S., while critics noted the U.S. wasn’t under threat from its neighbors, Canada and Mexico, and is buffered by two oceans.
Still, some experts say the idea of improving the nation’s ability to fend off aerial threats is long overdue.
Tom Karako, a missile defense expert, said the current U.S. system is focused mostly on the ability to shoot down intercontinental ballistic missiles from rogue states like North Korea. But the U.S. needs better protection when it comes to other threats like drones, cruise missiles and hypersonic weapons, he said.
“The truth is, we’re pretty vulnerable,” said Karako, director of the Missile Defense Project and a senior fellow with the Defense and Security Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
One question, though, is how much capability the U.S. can develop in just three years, particularly considering Trump’s stated goal of developing a network of space-based interceptors.
“It’s not to say that it can’t be done sooner than perhaps some folks think, but three years is going to be pushing it for some of those things,” Karako said.
Standing beside Trump in the Oval Office was Guetlein, the Pentagon’s vice chief of space operations who will lead the project, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who said the project was possible now because technology has improved since the Reagan days.
“The technology wasn’t there. Now it is,” Hegseth said of Reagan’s “Star Wars” program. “And you’re following through to say we will protect the homeland from cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles, drones, whether they’re conventional or nuclear.”
On Capitol Hill, early indications were that Republicans would support the effort with Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, promising to include a $25 billion “down payment” in an upcoming spending bill.
Democrats, though, have questioned the steep price tag. Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the committee, noted last week the White House requested some $113 billion in its budget for next year without outlining a clear plan on what the program would achieve and when.
“That’s essentially a slush fund at this point,” said Reed, D-Rhode Island.
Trump’s talk of building “the greatest dome of them all” seemed to originate on the campaign trail. After watching Israel’s successful use of its Iron Dome, Trump’s calls for a U.S. version was met with cheers from crowds at his rallies so much that Republicans included the construction of a U.S. missile shield in its party platform ahead of the 2024 elections. In January, Trump signed an executive order calling on Hegseth to make it happen.
“The threat of attack by ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles, and other advanced aerial attacks, remains the most catastrophic threat facing the United States,” Trump wrote in the Jan. 27 order.
Since then, “the Defense Department has gathered the brightest minds and best technical talent available to review a full range of options that considers current U.S. missile defense technology and cutting-edge innovation to rapidly develop and field a dependable umbrella of protection for our homeland,” Sean Parnell, chief Pentagon spokesman and Hegseth’s senior adviser, said earlier this week amid reports the Defense Department has been working on the proposal.
Still unclear is exactly how comprehensive the system would be. Also in question is whether such an ambitious program might siphon away money from other vital programs. The Air Force, for example, is in the process of replacing 400 of its intercontinental ballistic missiles built in the 1970s with new ones.
“Some U.S. technology in space such as space-based sensors and air and missile defense exist today, but all of the systems comprising the Golden Dome architecture will need to be seamlessly integrated,” Hegseth said in a statement. “Golden Dome will be fielded in phases, prioritizing defense where the threat is greatest.”
Trump’s plan appears to be on the lower end of congressional cost estimates, but dramatically sooner than thought possible. Earlier this month, the Congressional Budget Office estimated the U.S. would need to spend anywhere from $161 billion to $542 billion over 20 years to develop and launch a network of space-based interceptors.
According to the CBO, these cost estimates are lower than they would have been years ago because of a decline in the cost of available launch services.
Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
