Inquiries about Trump's "Golden Dome," the fresh US missile defense system
United States to Develop Advanced Missile Defense System Known as the "Golden Dome"
On Tuesday, May 20, President Donald Trump announced the impending construction of an advanced missile defense system called the "Golden Dome." Modeled after Israel's successful defense system, this system aims to protect the American homeland from short- and long-range missile attacks, including ballistic, hypersonic, and drone threats, both conventional and nuclear.
The Pentagon has been working on the "Golden Dome" project for several months, but few details about its functionality have been disclosed. According to President Trump, the defense system will be capable of intercepting missiles, regardless of their launch point, even from space. He emphasized that the "Golden Dome" will provide comprehensive protection against all aerial threats to American territory.
U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, explained that the "Golden Dome" will be designed to counter cruise, ballistic, and hypersonic missiles, as well as drones, serving as a shield against any foreign aerial assault. The initiative follows the U.S. Army's 2022 Missile Defense Review, which identified growing threats from China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran, as well as non-state actors.
The estimated cost of the "Golden Dome" is $175 billion, but the actual cost may be significantly higher, according to a non-partisan U.S. congressional agency. The development and deployment of such a system would require cooperation between the White House, Congress, and the defense industry, as well as a focus on innovation and priority-setting.
Canada has expressed interest in collaborating on the "Golden Dome" project, and Trump has indicated openness to cooperation. Meanwhile, Russia and China have voiced concerns about the initiative, with Moscow comparing it to Ronald Reagan's "Star Wars" program and Beijing seeing it as a threat to strategic balance and global stability.
The "Golden Dome" is part of Trump's commitment to the "peace through strength" policy, emphasizing the importance of advanced national defense and deterring adversaries from launching missile attacks. The system is expected to operate on a larger and more advanced scale than Israel's Iron Dome, relying on a network of satellites for global detection and tracking of incoming missile threats, as well as traditional land-based interceptors and space-based interceptors for mid-flight neutralization.
With the current U.S. missile defense architecture being over two decades old and primarily focused on accidental or rogue launches, the "Golden Dome" aims to fill critical gaps, providing a protective "dome" over the U.S. and extending protection to forward-deployed troops and allies in Europe and Asia. The system is planned to be developed quickly, with potential results in less than three years, contrasting with traditional missile defense programs that can take over a decade to complete.
- The development and deployment of the "Golden Dome" missile defense system, estimated to cost $175 billion, necessitates cooperation between the White House, Congress, and the defense industry, and also involves policy-and-legislation discussions to prioritize funding.
- The "Golden Dome" system, designed to counter various aerial threats such as missiles, drones, and hypersonic weapons, is part of President Trump's peace-through-strength policy, emphasizing proactive actions in war-and-conflicts to deter adversaries and ensure general-news safety.
