Washington, DC – US President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has established their most clear plan to date for the “Golden Dome” anti -missile defense program, which would include weapons in space for the first time.
Speaking on Tuesday of the White House, Trump said that he had “officially selected architecture” for the system, designed to eliminate “hypersonic missiles, ballistic missiles and advanced cruise missiles”.
“I promised the American people to build a cutting -edge anti -missile defense shield to protect our homeland from the threat of a foreign missile attack,” Trump told journalists in the oval office.
The Golden Dome system, he added, would include “sensors and space interceptors”.
“Once fully built, the Golden Dome will be able to intercept the missiles even if they have been launched from other sides of the world and even if they have been launched from space,” continued Trump. “We will have the best system ever built.”
The announcement comes just under four months after Trump signed an executive decree that launched the development of the program. General Michael Guetlein – who is currently vice -head of space operations in Space Force, a branch of the American army – is expected to manage the program.
Speaking during the event, Hegseth praised the plan as a “game changer” and a “generational investment in the security of America and the Americans”.
The White House did not immediately publish details on the anti -missile defense system, and the Pentagon would have always developed its capacities and requirements.
The Congressional Budget Office estimated at the beginning of the month that the space components of the Golden Dome could cost up to 542 billion dollars over the next 20 years.
He noted that a high number of sensors and interceptors would be necessary for a space system to be effective, especially since foreign soldiers like North Korea become more sophisticated.
But Tuesday, Trump described a much lower price and calendar.
“It should be fully operational before the end of my mandate. So we will do so in about three years,” said Trump.
He estimated the total cost to reach around $ 175 billion, adding that he planned to use existing defense capacities to build the system.
But the financing of the program has so far not been obtained. At Tuesday’s press conference Trump confirmed that he was looking for $ 25 billion for the system in a bill on a tax reduction which was currently moving through the congress, although this sum could be reduced among the negotiations in progress.
There will probably be a certain variation in the total cost of the project. The Associated Press press agency, for example, cited an anonymous government official saying that Trump had received three versions of the plan, described as “medium”, “high” and “additional”.
These levels corresponded to the number of satellites, sensors and interceptors would be placed in the space within the framework of the program. The news agency reported that Trump had chosen the “high” version, which has an initial cost varying between $ 30 billion and $ 100 billion.
Questions about viability
As he explained on Tuesday his plans for the Golden Dome, Trump cited several inspirations, including the “Iron Dome” anti-missile defense system of Israel, partly funded by the United States.
He also underlined the work of a republican colleague, the late President Ronald Reagan, who served in the White House during the Cold War in the 1980s.
As part of his strategic defense initiative in 1983, Reagan had proposed an obstacle to nuclear weapons that included space technology.
“We will really finish the work that President Reagan started 40 years ago, ending the threat of missiles for the American homeland,” said Trump.
But the questions have persisted on the viability of a space defense system, its price and if it could ignite a new arms race.
Democrats have also questioned the possible implication of Elon Musk SpaceX, which is a favorite among technological companies seeking to build key components of the system.
A group of 42 Democratic legislators called for an investigation into the role of Musk in the tender process, highlighting his position as special advisor to Trump and his substantial campaign donations to the President.
“If Mr. Musk was to exert an incorrect influence on the contract of the Dome Golden, it would be another example
From a disturbing model of Mr. Musk flouting the rules of conflicts of interest, “the Democrats wrote in a letter, calling for the investigation.
Tuesday, Trump did not answer a question directly on the companies that would be involved in the Golden Dome. Instead, he stressed that the system would stimulate industries in states such as Alaska, Indiana, Florida and Georgia.
He added: “Canada called us, and they want to be part of it. So we’re going to talk to them. “
