President Trump’s plan to develop a new massive missile defense system for the US, dubbed the “Golden Dome” or the “Iron Dome for America,” is expected to cost $500 billion over the next 20 years, CNN reported on Monday, citing an estimate from the Congressional Budget Office.
The project will be a boondoggle for US weapons makers, and, according to a report from Reuters, Elon Musk’s SpaceX has emerged as a frontrunner to develop key parts of the missile shield. The report said SpaceX has partnered with Palantir and Anduril on the project.
The CNN report said that representatives from SpaceX, Palantir, and Anduril have all pitched Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on their plans for the project, and a source told the media outlet that he “wants what they’re selling.”
Pentagon officials have submitted plans to Trump for several options for developing the missile shield, and the president is expected to announce his preferred plan soon.
“The Secretary of Defense and other Department leaders have engaged with the President to present options and look forward to announcing the path forward in the coming days,” said Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell.
The idea of the “Golden Dome” is to provide a missile shield for the entire territory of the United States that can intercept the most advanced missiles in the world. Trump’s executive order that directed the Pentagon to pursue the plan specified that it must include “space-based interceptors.”
The White House’s $1.01 trillion military budget request for 2026 includes $25 billion for the Golden Dome. Besides the massive cost, the project will likely kick off a new global arms race.
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"War (and preparation for war) is a racket" …
And meanwhile, here in one of the richest parts of the country in Silicon Valley, about 700 people will live along the creeks and thousands more on the streets tonight …
The $500 billions should be spent on the people of the US instead…!
Borrow and spend until the end.
… until there is no more money to borrow…!
execuive orders are not law. as for this fantasy by don the old. there will not be a u.s. left to defend when he is done.
"Executive orders are NOW law."
I assume your post was a typoe.
Yes I typed not law.
“now” might be way more accurate.
This is the first US Presidency in my living memory where I don’t know which party controls Congress or Senate and it absolutely does not seem to matter who.
Emperor Trump is ruling by fiat declaration, and senators and congressmen either nod or whine.
Agreed its a kakistocracy.
Tan-colored pants and shorts, with lots of pockets and favored by middle-aged men and British Army desert forces ?
What
Sorry, thought you said "khakiocracy".
Kakistocracy run by stupid idiots we have it now
Ah…… Golden Dome is perfect for the Man with the golden gun!….
;-/
Yes, allowing that his golden gun is a one-shot short-barrel derringer.
In his "Golden Age".
Right… Golden Dome… Hoo – wah!!
Sorry about the advertising…
Lol…!
It's just make-work for the MICIMATT. A true perpetual motion machine (just add dollars). Or, if you prefer, the world's greatest self-licking ice cream cone.
With the THADD system, half the US and UK Navy, plus Iron dome, cant shoot down Houthi missiles fired from 1200 miles away, why bother building golden dome?
Simple answer: Ego…!
The military industrial complex can't sell the weapons to anyone else because they know they don't work. They can con/propagandize the US into buying them.
"All that glitters is not gold". It is very aptly called "fool's gold" because fools fall for it all the time.
Does anyone believe that the cost will only be only 500 billion when the installation is completed? Military projects have always been mo0re expensive than estimated.
The US public would believe it until they don't…!
No. Least of all the people ordering the stupid thing.
Well… the $500B is way underestimated for this impossible project… They know that already… hence the underestimation to silence the public…!
The first batch of this system would function as Copper Dome or the Cotton Dome for America…! Then, if project is not cancelled by the next potus…. more money is requested…and then more money… and then more money…! Exactly like the F35 jet ptoject…!
For one thing, I thought stationing weapons in space was a violation of treaty (the Dark Fleet a quiet and generally unknown exception, of course).
And another – with $500 billion over 20 years, you could BUY the friendship of any & every country capable of launching missiles at you ! Anyone ELSE remember the math that said even if Saddam raised oil to like US$400/barrel it'd STILL be cheaper to buy it from him than to invade & occupy Iraq over the same time frame ???
Americans will pay for it and it will probably be shipped to Israel like other systems given to Zionism for their ongoing genocide and advance the greater Israel project.
So, another 'Star Wars' startup to line the purses and pockets of the MIC. Dig deep America and stop those Russians over there, or well have to fight them on Main St. USA!
"Star Wars Won't Work" –Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention
This is a science fiction. Musk is not a scientist amd he probably cannot manage scientists. Trump also gets excited by things he does not understand., For example the first pksse rocket returning to the launchnpad. Impressive. The reason shuttle program was scrapped was due to thecunderstanding how extreme conditions strain material and hairline problem cqn cause disasters. Be that rings or other issues — reuseability is questionable. But it looks impressive. To Trump. There are so many advances in the science of materials and advances in physics that are achieved by scientists of other countries. Demonstrated and implemented, not that we pay any attention to this. We still live in the era of chikdlike innocence paying no attention to. the world of trouble we are courting. Dark clouds of trouble.
What we need is to become a normal nation, give up hegemony. Being used to being in charge is hard to give up. Washington mind needs to change, coming up with agreements with the world. Super-duper defence is not going to protect us from our own arrogance. It will take some real problem to sober people up.
The shuttles were great tech (and their triple onboard CPU's said to be the best programmed computers ever) done in, unfortunately, by their architecture.
As you alluded to, the re-usable feature was also a challenge, for structural integrity. Additionally, unlike the previous NASA crewed craft (Gemini, Mercury, Apollo) the shuttles' reentry heat shield was always exposed during launch, leading to Columbia's end.
And a "horizontal" orientation of the launch boost stages (instead of the stacked Saturn V orientation) put all the fuel right beside the shuttles (instead of in sections under the crew compartment).
I think Artemis going "back to" an Apollo configuration for launch vehicle is a good plan – if Trump doesn't cripple American manned spaceflight and sub-c it to whimsical billionaires like (f)Elon Musk and Jerricurl Branson.