President Donald Trump has directed the Pentagon to build a U.S. missile defense system partly based in space, known as “Golden Dome,” which he says will be finished by the end of his term for $175 billion and “forever end the missile threat to the American homeland.”
A new sprawling report by The Washington Post has revealed, however, that the system is likely to take at least a decade and could cost $1 trillion or more.
The plan would represent a major departure from decades of nuclear deterrence and expand military operations into space. Critics warn the program could fuel a new arms race while failing to deliver the level of protection Trump has promised. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) called Golden Dome “the single most dangerous idea Trump has ever proposed,” in an interview with The Post.
The system’s most ambitious component would place thousands of satellites into low Earth orbit to detect and destroy enemy missiles shortly after launch. Supporters compare the scale of the project to the Manhattan Project or the Apollo program. They argue it is needed amid the expansion of nuclear arsenals in China and Russia, including the deployment of new intercontinental and hypersonic weapons capable of traveling more than 4,000 mph.
Current U.S. defenses are designed only to counter limited threats from North Korea. Tests of existing ground-based interceptors have succeeded about 55% of the time, according to analysis cited by the Post. Those tests were often conducted under controlled conditions. The United States has spent more than $350 billion over six decades on similar initiatives without proving they can stop real-world attacks, researchers told the Post.
Cost projections for Golden Dome vary widely. A Congressional Budget Office estimate found that deploying space-based interceptors alone could cost $542 billion over 20 years, enough to counter only one or two missiles. A broader system could reach $3.6 trillion, Todd Harrison, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, estimated.
The administration has requested $25 billion this year as what one expert called a “down payment” on the program.
China has warned Golden Dome would “heighten the risk of turning space into a war zone.” Analysts told the Post the system could require as many as 16,000 orbiting interceptors to address an attack of 10 intercontinental ballistic missiles. Even then, a nuclear detonation in space or orbital debris could disable the network.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said through a statement back in May that the effort reflects “a historic investment in American security” and fulfills the U.S. duty “to protect the homeland first and foremost.” He added that the Department of Defense has drafted an implementation plan and will field the system in phases, adding that it will integrate “space-based interceptors and sensors” with existing air, sea, and ground defenses.
Hegseth said the administration is working with Congress to secure $25 billion in advance funding and with agencies including NORAD and U.S. Space Command to ensure “real-time integration.” Golden Dome, he said, is intended to enhance deterrence and maintain “peace through strength.”
Trump appointed Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein to oversee the initiative, though the Post reported it remains unclear which agency will ultimately lead the program. Major contractors such as Lockheed Martin and L3 Harris, along with technology firms including Anduril, Palantir, and SpaceX, are competing to shape and supply the system.
Originally published on Latin Times
