US President Donald Trump revealed a plan for the ambitious “golden dome” missile shield this week, saying it would cost 175 billion dollars and take about three years – but some experts say the price may be several times higher.
The Golden Dome project aims to see the design of the United States and deploy the missile defense shield from the next generation on the entire continental United States, which will be able to discover, track and intercept air missiles and advanced air threats. What makes Golden Dome unique is that it will include space -based objections: the spacecraft in the Earth’s orbit is able to drop missile threats in the middle of the flight.
On Tuesday (May 20), Trump and US Defense Secretary, Beit Higseth, held a press conference at the White House, during which he announced that the American forces, Michael Getlin, deputy head of space operations, would lead the program. “It is time to change this equation and begin to double the protection of the country,” Getlin said at the press conference.
Higseth He issued a statement On May 20, the Ministry of Defense stipulates an initial financing request worth $ 25 billion as part of Trump.One, big invoice, beautiful“Legislation includes tax cuts and changes in spending.
“We look forward to continuing to work with Congress to secure funding for the critical capabilities needed to request a fiscal year 26 budget.” “The golden dome ensures that the American homeland does not leave exposed while the opponents develop more advanced and deadly with long -term weapons.”
Congress Budget Office (CBO) Publish a report On May 5, the cost of publishing a constellation of space objections is estimated at what Trump determined in his vision of the golden dome. According to CBO, the lowest estimates of the development and deployment of such a system are about $ 161 billion, which are less than Trump’s expected costs. The highest CBO estimates indicate that the cost may reach $ 542 billion, or more than half a trillion dollars.
In fact, the final price can be higher.
During the security summit It hosts politico This month, the head of space operations in the United States explained to General B. Soltikman said, according to Air and Space Forces Magazine. “My intestine told me that there is some necessary additional funding.”
While the golden dome is described as a purely defensive system aimed at protecting the neighboring United States, other countries are already wondering about the intention behind the program.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning He told reporters Today (May 21) The Golden Dome program “will expand” the US arsenal for the means of combat operations in outer space “and has a” strong offensive nature “” that violates the principle of peaceful use in the outer space treaty.
While Russia initially criticized this initiative, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday (May 20) that the golden dome is a “sovereign issue for the United States” and that the United States should be able to build missile defenses if it imagines a threat, According to the Moscow Times.
Golden Dome takes its inspiration, at least by name, from the Iron Iron Iron dome, a missile shield system that has been used since 2011 by the Israeli Defense Forces to intercept missiles and artillery weapons. It consists of radar systems that discover and track threats, missile launchers, and a control center coordinating between the two.
Golden Dome also has its roots in a former missile defense program proposed by President Ronald Reagan, known as the Strategic Defense Initiative. Reagan presented the idea in March 1983 TV title He appealed to the scientific community to help the United States develop space -based defense weapons that could pose a threat of “helpless and dough” nuclear weapons.
SDI gave the title “Star Wars” by the media because of how it seemed strange at the time. But that was before the Earth’s orbit became military, and the costs of launch declined significantly thanks to the reusable missile technology, and the two countries began spreading space -based weapons that were only found in science fiction when Reagan gave its title.
Quickly four decades forward, Trump says the golden dome project can finally see Reagan’s reality.
“We will really complete the job that President Reagan started forty years ago, ending the threat of missiles to the American homeland forever,” Trump said.
