Donald Trump has revealed plans for a $175bn Golden Dome missile defence system that would put US weapons in space for the first time.
Speaking from the Oval Office beside a picture showing artistic depictions of missile interceptions, Trump said he expects the system will be “fully operational before the end of my term,” which ends in 2029, and have the capability of intercepting missiles “even if they are launched from space.”
He named General Michael Guetlein as the Space Force general to head the ambitious programme.
Golden Dome will “protect our homeland,” Trump said.
“Ronald Reagan wanted it many years ago, but they didn’t have the technology,” Trump noted, referring to the space-based missile defence system, also referred to as “Star Wars”, proposed by the former president.
The Pentagon has warned for years that the newest missiles developed by China and Russia are so advanced that updated countermeasures are necessary.
Trump said he had not yet spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin about Golden Dome, “but at the right time, we will”.
Trump made his announcement next to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in the Oval Office (Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)The Golden Dome idea was inspired by Israel’s land-based Iron Dome defence shield that protects it from missiles and rockets.
Trump’s Golden Dome is much more extensive and includes a massive array of surveillance satellites and a separate fleet of attacking satellites that would shoot down offensive missiles soon after lift-off.
The system is envisioned to include ground- and space-based capabilities that are able to detect and stop missiles at all four major stages of a potential attack: detecting and destroying them before a launch, intercepting them in their earliest stage of flight, stopping them midcourse in the air, or halting them in the final minutes as they descend toward a target.
Israel’s missile defence system operates across multiple tiers (Image: i)For the last several months, Pentagon planners have been developing options — which the US official described as medium, high and “extra high” choices.
The difference in the three versions is largely based on how many satellites and sensors — and for the first time, space-based interceptors — would be purchased.
The Congressional Budget Office estimated this month that just the space-based components of the Golden Dome could cost as much as $542bn over the next 20 years.
Trump has requested an initial $25bn for the programme in his proposed tax break bill now moving through Congress.
It’s likelier that the complex system may have some initial capability by the end of Trump’s term than be fully operational, a US official familiar with the programme told the Associated Press.
Industry experts have cast doubt on the time frame and the cost.
“The new datapoint is the $175bn – but the question remains, over what period of time. It’s probably 10 years,” Tom Karako of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said.
China and Russia have put offensive weapons in space, such as satellites with abilities to disable critical US satellites, which could make it vulnerable to attack.
Last year, the US said Russia was developing a space-based nuclear weapon that could loiter in space for long durations, then release a burst that would take out satellites around it.
The US already has many missile defense capabilities, such as the Patriot missile batteries that the US has provided to Ukraine to defend against incoming missiles as well as an array of satellites in orbit to detect missile launches.
Some of those existing systems will be incorporated into Golden Dome.
Trump directed the Pentagon to pursue the space-based interceptors in an executive order during the first week of his presidency.
With agencies
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Trump unveils plans for Golden Dome system that will put weapons in space )
Also on site :
- Exactly How Many Times a Week To Walk To Improve Your Heart Health, According to Cardiologists
- DWTS Pros Support Beloved Mirrorball Winner, 38, Amid Personal News
- Nike Is Selling the 'Most Comfortable' $115 Sneakers for Just $64, and Shoppers Say They Feel Like 'Walking On Clouds'