President Donald Trump announced plans Tuesday for an ambitious satellite-based missile defence shield dubbed “Golden Dome,” a 175 billion system designed to counter advanced threats from China and Russia.
Flanked by military officials in the White House Roosevelt Room, Trump named Space Force General Michael Guetlein to lead the program and revealed an initial 25 billion allocation pending Congressional approval.
Modelled after Israel’s Iron Dome but scaled to intercept hypersonic missiles and orbital bombardment systems, the initiative revives concepts from Ronald Reagan’s 1980s Strategic Defence Initiative.
“Ronald Reagan wanted this, but the technology wasn’t ready,” Trump declared, claiming the system would achieve “close to 100% effectiveness.” The Pentagon will begin evaluating contractors for a constellation of tracking satellites and armed interceptors, with SpaceX emerging as a frontrunner due to its existing Starlink infrastructure.
Canada has already expressed interest in participating, with former Defence Minister Bill Blair calling the project vital for Arctic security.
But the plan faces steep hurdles: Congressional Budget Office estimates suggest costs could balloon to 831 billion over 20 years, while Democrats question the involvement of Trump ally Elon Musk’s companies.
A proposed “subscription model” – where the government pays for access rather than owning assets – has raised Pentagon concerns about long-term control.
The urgency stems from Defence Intelligence Agency warnings about Chinese and Russian weapons designed to exploit U.S. defence gaps. L3Harris has already invested 150 million in Indiana facilities producing tracking satellites, while Lockheed Martin and RTX Corp vie for roles.
Trump vowed deployment by 2029, but experts like CSIS’s Tom Karako caution the timeline is “wildly optimistic” without guaranteed funding.
As the White House ties the project to a contentious 150 billion defense package, Golden Dome’s fate may hinge on November’s election – becoming either Trump’s legacy project or another unrealized vision in the high-stakes arena of space militarization.
