U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday formally unveiled plans for a $175 billion American missile-defense system dubbed “Golden Dome,” a program he says will emulate and expand on the success of Israel’s Iron Dome.
“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 during an Oval Office announcement. “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.”
The president was joined by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein, who will lead the initiative. Hegseth said the project is viable now due to technological advancements.
“The technology wasn’t there. Now it is,” he said. “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.”
The “Golden Dome” plan includes phased deployment, prioritizing high-risk areas. While critics have raised concerns about cost and feasibility, Trump defended the investment as necessary to defend the United States against modern threats. “The threat of attack by ballistic, hypersonic and cruise missiles, and other advanced aerial attacks, remains the most catastrophic threat facing the United States,” he wrote in a Jan. 27 executive order initiating the project.
The U.S. Department of Defense previously confirmed in March that development was already underway, calling the effort “formidable” and highlighting the need for broad inter-agency coordination. “We’re wasting no time in moving out and taking this new direction by the president and the secretary,” said Steven Morani, acting undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment.
Trump’s initiative follows months of vocal praise for Israel’s Iron Dome, which successfully intercepted thousands of projectiles during Iranian and proxy assaults on the Jewish state over the past year and a half.
In addition to the new U.S. system, interest in Israeli missile defense continues to grow internationally. Greece and other nations are in talks to acquire Iron Dome or similar technology, according to recent Israeli defense sources.
