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Donald Trump has placed a $175 billion price tag on the development of the “Golden Dome” missile defense shield, and has promised that the project will be “operated” by the end of his term.
The so-called Golden Dome, the name of Israel’s famous “Iron and Dome” shield, will be completed in two and a half to three years, the US president said in an announcement from the oval office. He added that the pre-Congress tax and budget bill includes $25 billion to “help construction progress.”
Trump also said Canada “calls us and they want to be part of it” and “have protection.” “We’ll help them with pricing.”
The President set up the Golden Dome Project in the first week of his second term, demanding executive orders that demand the most ambitious and cutting-edge missile shields in US history that could destroy extreme missiles and prevent nuclear annihilation.
Trump said on Tuesday that the Golden Dome will “reach all over land, sea and space, including space-based sensors and interceptors,” which is adjacent to several Michael Guetrein, who leads the project, as well as several U.S. Senators and US Space Force Generals.
However, these interceptors (satellite webs, laser equipped) require technology that does not exist yet to detect, intercept and destroy ballistic nuclear missiles. Given the unproven technology, the Golden Dome, similar to Ronald Reagan’s so-called Star Wars program in the 1980s, has a major hurdle.
“Ronald Reagan wanted that many years ago, but they didn’t have the technology,” Trump said. “When fully constructed, the Golden Dome can intercept missiles, whether launched from other sides of the world or from space.”
He spoke about the importance of Silicon Valley to make his vision come true. “There are things no one else can have,” Trump said. “A very big enemy told me, ‘The most amazing people in the world are Silicon Valley.’ ”
New tech players such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX, startups Anduril and Palantir are expected to be involved in the Golden Dome along with legacy defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin and RTX.
Aerospace and defense companies are already preparing to fight for fresh contract dollars. Lockheed sets up a webpage declaring preparations for this “Manhattan project-scale mission,” and points to a WWII-era program and develops an atomic bomb. So far, there have been no agreements with any particular company.
Trump was convinced that Congress would continue to fund the Golden Dome. “It’s amazing how easy it is to fund this,” he said against the backdrop of a massive battle over his sweeping tax bill.
However, the project can easily surpass the $175 billion price tag. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that the development and launch of space-based interceptors would cost up to $54.2 billion over 20 years.
The Defense Intelligence Agency was released last week Threat assessment By explaining the types of attacks in China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, it can be launched with sophisticated missiles that the Golden Dome is intended to protect the shield.
Meanwhile, Democrats, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, raised concerns of conflict of interest over potential involvement in SpaceX’s project, taking into account the role of masks in the Trump administration.
A group of 42 Democrats led by Warren asked the Department of Defense Top Watch Dog to “conduct a review of the Pentagon’s process and award a “Golden Dome” missile defense shield contract that includes Elon Musk’s involvement in the process.”
