Trump Pushes Forward with Ambitious ‘Golden Dome’ Missile Shield Proposal

President Donald Trump has confirmed that the United States has finalized a design for its advanced “Golden Dome” missile defense system, which he expects to be functional before the end of his presidency.

Shortly after reassuming office in January, Trump announced the launch of this defense initiative, which aims to respond to “next-generation” missile threats to the country, including both cruise and ballistic types.

An initial allocation of $25 billion (£18.7 billion) has been proposed in a new federal budget, although experts suggest the overall cost could rise dramatically—potentially up to 20 times more over the coming decades.

There are ongoing concerns about whether it’s feasible to implement a full-scale defense mechanism that would protect the entire US landmass.

Military officials have raised alarms that current defense systems are lagging behind the evolving weapon capabilities of potential global rivals.

A recent report by the Defense Intelligence Agency highlighted that missile threats “will expand in scale and sophistication”, noting that both Russia and China are working on systems “to exploit gaps” in America’s missile shield.

A week into his second term, Trump directed the Department of Defense to present a proposal for a system that would both deter and respond to airborne assaults, which the White House described as “the most catastrophic threat” facing the country.

Speaking from the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump explained that the project would use “next-generation” technology deployed across land, sea, and space, with plans for both sensors and missile interceptors positioned in orbit.

Trump also claimed that the system would be “capable even of intercepting missiles launched from the other side of the world, or launched from space”.

While inspired by Israel’s Iron Dome system, operational since 2011, the Golden Dome is expected to be significantly larger and more complex. Its scope includes defending against hypersonic missiles and fractional orbital bombardment systems—known as Fobs—that can deploy warheads from space.

“Israel’s missile defence challenge is a lot easier than one in the United States,” Marion Messmer, a senior fellow at Chatham House in London mentioned. “The geography is much smaller and the angles and directions and the types of missiles are more limited.”

Shashank Joshi, the Economist’s defense editor, said that the Golden Dome would likely operate using thousands of satellites to detect and track incoming threats, while orbital interceptors would aim to neutralize the missiles early in their launch phase.

While the US military is expected to treat the proposal with seriousness, Joshi cautioned that building such a system within Trump’s term is highly unlikely, especially considering the financial implications it would have on the broader defense budget.

Trump stated on Tuesday that the program would start with a $25 billion investment, potentially climbing to $175 billion over time.

However, the Congressional Budget Office projects the cost could soar even higher, reaching as much as $542 billion over the next two decades for the space-based components alone.

According to Trump, Canada has expressed interest in joining the initiative.

During a visit to Washington earlier this year, then-Canadian defense minister Bill Blair said Canada was open to the idea, suggesting that participation “makes sense” and aligned with the country’s “national interest”.

US defense officials say that a unified command will oversee the various components of the Golden Dome system. Space Force General Michael Guetlein has been appointed to lead the effort.