WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - President Donald Trump has announced plans to build his ambitious Golden Dome missile defense shield to protect the United States from foreign attacks before the end of his current term.
'We'll have it done in three years. Once fully constructed, the Golden Dome will be capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from other sides of the world,' Trump told reporters as he unveiled the plan for next-generation missile defense system at the White House.
$25 billion has been initially earmarked in a new budget bill for the initiative, formalized in an Executive Order he signed on January 27.
General Michael Guetlein, who is vice chief of space operations at the U.S. Space Force, will be in charge of executing the project, which is estimated to cost about $175 billion.
Trump claimed that Canada has expressed interest to be part of the project.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the Golden Dome is designed to leverage some past investments but will also use next-generation technology to defend against the evolving, and complex threat landscape.
'Within the last four decades, our adversaries have developed more advanced and lethal long-range weapons than ever before, including ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles capable of striking the homeland with either conventional or nuclear warheads,' he said in a statement.
Hegseth said that in response to the President's direction, the Department has developed a draft architecture and implementation plan for a Golden Dome system of systems that will protect our homeland from a wide range of global missile threats.
The Golden Dome will include space-based interceptors and sensors. Some U.S. technology in space such as space-based sensors and air and missile defense exist today, but all of the systems comprising the Golden Dome architecture will need to be seamlessly integrated. Golden Dome will be fielded in phases, prioritizing defense where the threat is greatest.
Hegseth said the Pentagon is working with the Office of Management and Budget to develop a plan to fund recommended capabilities.
'We are working with Congress to secure $25 billion of funding in the 'One Big Beautiful' reconciliation bill for critical capabilities necessary in the FY26 budget request.'
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