Trump announces the United States will build a missile shield called "Golden Dome."

 

US President Donald Trump revealed plans to build a missile shield called "Golden Dome" to protect the United States from foreign attacks, confirming that it would be operational within three years.

Trump announced the allocation of $25 billion in initial funding for the project, adding that its total cost could reach approximately $175 billion.

"During the campaign, I promised the American people that I would build a very advanced missile shield," Trump said at the White House. "Today, I am pleased to announce that we have officially selected the architecture for this advanced system."

He explained, "Golden Dome will be able to intercept missiles even if they are launched from other parts of the world, even from space. It is very important to the success and survival of our country."

The US President indicated that General Michael Gitlin of the US Space Force will lead the project, adding that Canada has expressed interest in participating because it "wants protection, too."

However, while Trump stated that the total cost of the project was $175 billion, the Congressional Budget Office estimated the cost of interceptor missiles to counter a limited number of intercontinental ballistic missiles at between $161 billion and $542 billion over 20 years.

The Golden Dome has broader objectives. Trump stated that it "will deploy next-generation technologies on land, at sea, and in space, including space-based sensors and interceptor missiles."

For his part, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, speaking alongside Trump, explained that this system aims to protect "the country from cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and hypersonic missiles, both conventional and nuclear."

At the end of January, Trump signed an order to build America's "Iron Dome," which, according to the White House, will be an integrated anti-missile defense shield to protect the United States.

Russia and China have criticized the announcement, which Moscow viewed as a "Star Wars" project, a reference to the term used to describe the US Strategic Defense Initiative under President Ronald Reagan during the Cold War.

Earlier this month, Moscow and Beijing criticized the Golden Dome concept, calling it "destabilizing" and threatening to turn space into a "war zone."

A statement released by the Kremlin after talks between the two sides said the project "clearly provides for a significant buildup of the arsenal needed for combat in space."

"Iron Dome" is the name given to one of Israel's defense systems that protects the Jewish state from missile and drone attacks.

This system has intercepted thousands of missiles since entering service in 2011. Its interception rate is approximately 90 percent, according to the Israeli defense company Rafael, which co-designed it.

The United States faces missile threats from several countries, particularly Russia and China, according to the Pentagon's 2022 Missile Defense Review.

The document stated that Beijing is working to narrow the gap with Washington regarding ballistic and hypersonic missile technology, while Moscow is modernizing its intercontinental missile systems and developing advanced precision missiles.

It also indicated that the threat posed by drones, which play a key role in the war in Ukraine, is likely to increase, warning of the danger of ballistic missile launches from North Korea and Iran, as well as missile threats from other sources.

The United States has gained valuable experience in defending against missiles and drones in recent years.

In Ukraine, American systems were used to counter advanced Russian missiles, while American aircraft and warships contributed to defending Israel against Iranian attacks last year and shot down missiles and drones launched by the Tehran-backed Houthis in Yemen at ships.