Trump unveils $175 billion 'Golden Dome' missile defense plan

Donald Trump announced a $175 billion, three-year plan to build a sweeping missile defense system dubbed “Golden Dome,” aiming to shield the U.S. from global and even space-based threats.

President Donald Trump  unveiled a $175 billion initiative to build a next-generation missile defense system, Golden Dome, designed to intercept missiles from anywhere in the world - including those launched from space.

“It will be capable of intercepting missiles launched from the other side of the world,” Trump said from the Oval Office, alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The project’s first $25 billion tranche is included in Trump’s sweeping tax and spending package currently before Congress.

An executive order signed in January kicked off the multi-layered defense program, which will integrate existing Pentagon systems with new technologies such as space-based sensors and weapons. The effort will require an extensive software infrastructure to link current and future systems, according to Gen. Chance Saltzman of the U.S. Space Force.

Despite Trump’s ambitious three-year timeline, the Congressional Budget Office estimates a fully operational missile shield could cost over $500 billion across two decades. To meet Trump’s goal, Congress would need to allocate another $150 billion within the next two years.

Trump named Gen. Michael Guetlein, Space Force vice chief of operations, to lead the project. “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.

Copied