Trump seeks ‘Golden Dome’ missile shield by end of his term
Golden Dome will “protect our homeland,” Trump said of the the defense shield which would cost some $175 billion.
President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House showing a picture depicting his ‘Golden Dome’
The ‘Golden Dome’ missile defense system faces funding uncertainty
United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday unveiled a plan to develop a defense system designed to detect, track and potentially intercept incoming missiles.
He says his “Golden Dome” would cost $175 billion (€155 billion) and he wants it “fully operational before the end of my term.” Trump has asked for an initial $25 billion for the program in a sweeping tax-cut bill currently being reviewed by Congress.
“In the campaign I promised the American people I would build a cutting-edge missile defense shield,” Trump said at the White House.
Why Trump wants the ‘Golden Dome’
“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,” Trump said.
He argued “this is very important for the success and even survival of our country.”
Trump said the dome’s more expansive goals will include the deployment of “next-generation technologies across the land, sea and space, including space-based sensors and interceptors.” Speaking alongside the US president, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said the system is aimed at protecting “the homeland from cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles, drones, whether they’re conventional or nuclear.”
The president was asked whether military commanders asked for the system, and he replied, “I suggested it, and they all said, ‘We love the idea, sir.'”
