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Donald Trump expected to announce ‘Golden Dome’ space missile defence plan costing up to $100 billion
The ‘Golden Dome’ system would mark the first time the US deploys weapons in space capable of intercepting and destroying incoming missiles mid-flight.
US President Donald Trump is expected to announce his proposed “Golden Dome” missile defence plan on Tuesday. Though not the most expensive option presented by the Pentagon, the system would still cost taxpayers tens of billions of dollars and take years to develop.
If implemented, the system would mark the first time the US deploys weapons in space capable of intercepting and destroying incoming missiles mid-flight.
Trump is also expected to name Gen. Michael Guetlein, the current vice chief of space operations, to oversee the development of the Golden Dome project.
The Golden Dome system is designed to combine ground- and space-based technologies to counter missile threats at all four key phases: pre-launch detection and destruction, early-stage interception, midcourse engagement, and final-phase interception as missiles descend toward their targets.
For the past several months, Pentagon planners have been working on different versions of the programme, options a US official described as “medium,” “high,” and “extra high,” based on cost, that include space-based interceptors, the Associated Press reported.
Pentagon picks $30–$100b space missile defence plan
The administration has chosen the “high” version, which carries an initial price tag estimated between $30 billion and $100 billion, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss plans not yet publicly announced, the report added.
The main difference between the three versions lies in the number of satellites and sensors in space to be purchased, including, for the first time, space-based interceptors.
This month, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the space-based components of Golden Dome alone could cost up to $542 billion over the next 20 years. Trump has requested an initial $25 billion for the program in his proposed tax break bill currently under consideration in Congress.
The Pentagon has long warned that the latest missiles developed by China and Russia are so advanced that updated countermeasures are essential. The additional satellites and interceptors in Golden Dome, which account for the majority of the program’s cost, would focus on intercepting these advanced missiles early or during mid-flight.
With Associated Press inputs
