US President Donald Trump announced Tuesday a $175 billion missile defense system dubbed the "Golden Dome", appointing US Space Force General Michael Guetlein to lead what Trump described as a "Manhattan Project-scale" initiative.
During the Oval Office announcement, flanked by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Guetlein, Trump revealed that the project would be completed within three years and would protect the entire continental United States, including Canada, from aerial threats.
"It is a great day for America," Trump declared, seated beside a poster showing the continental US painted gold with artistic depictions of missile interceptions. "This design for the Golden Dome will integrate with our existing defense capabilities and should be fully operational before the end of my term."
The ambitious system is designed to create a comprehensive network of satellites capable of detecting, tracking, and intercepting incoming missiles. Trump touted the system would be "capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from other sides of the world and even if they are launched from space".
The project represents a substantial evolution from what was initially announced as the "Iron Dome for America" in the administration's first week, before being renamed "Golden Dome" by the Pentagon in February, possibly due to trademark concerns with Israel's existing Iron Dome system.
Guetlein previously served as the vice-chief of space operations with the US Space Force and has extensive experience in missile defense and space-based capabilities.
In March, Guetlein described the project's scope, calling it "on the order of magnitude of the Manhattan Project" and saying it would "take concerted effort from the very top of our government" and "national will to bring all this together".
The $175 billion price tag announced by Trump fell significantly below earlier Congressional Budget Office estimates, which suggested the system could cost between $161 billion and $542 billion over 20 years, according to a Bloomberg report on May 5.
A National Research Council study from 2012 estimated that the total cost of a space-based, boost-phase missile defense system could be as much as $831 billion.
Separately, Senator Tim Sheehy, Republican of Montana, who is heading a "Golden Dome caucus", recently told a crowd, "It will likely cost in the trillions if and when Golden Dome is completed," according to Space News.
Defense analysts have also raised questions about the project's technical feasibility, citing the difficulty of scaling up Israel's Iron Dome to protect a landmass approximately 400 times larger. The Israeli system primarily defends against short-range rockets and artillery, while the American system would need to counter advanced ballistic and hypersonic missiles.
Leading contractors vying for key satellite-based components include SpaceX, Palantir, and Anduril, which propose launching a constellation of hundreds to thousands of low Earth orbit satellites to provide continuous three-dimensional tracking and intercept capability.
On Capitol Hill, congressional Republicans have moved to include $27 billion for Golden Dome in a $150 billion defense package attached to Trump's tax-cut reconciliation bill.
