President Donald Trump has chosen a design for the Golden Dome missile defense system and has appointed a leader for this ambitious $175 billion defense project. Here are the insights about Golden Dome, its origins, and its operational mechanics.
How Will It Operate?
The Golden Dome initiative aims to utilize a network of hundreds of satellites orbiting the Earth. These satellites will be equipped with advanced sensors and interceptors to neutralize enemy missiles shortly after their launch from nations like China, Iran, North Korea, or Russia.
“I vowed to the American people that I would establish a state-of-the-art missile defense shield to safeguard our homeland from foreign missile threats,” Trump stated during his announcement on Tuesday.
In April, the Pentagon sought input from defense contractors on designing a network capable of intercepting intercontinental ballistic missiles during their “boost phase,” which occurs immediately after lift-off when enemy missiles ascend slowly and predictably through the atmosphere. Current defense systems engage targets once they are in space.
Upon detection of an incoming missile, the Golden Dome system will either intercept it with a missile or laser before it leaves the atmosphere or engage it further along its trajectory using existing missile defense systems based on land-based interceptors located in California and Alaska.
In addition to the space-based interception layer, there will be another defensive layer positioned within or around the U.S. This concept was previously considered by the Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency during Trump’s first term.
Is Golden Dome Similar to Israel’s Iron Dome?
“We assisted Israel in developing their system, which has proven to be very effective. Now, we possess technology that far surpasses that,” Trump remarked, referencing Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system.
The Iron Dome is a short-range air defense system designed to intercept projectiles like the rockets launched by Hamas from Gaza. It was developed by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems with U.S. assistance and became operational in 2011. Each unit, transportable by truck, launches radar-guided missiles to destroy short-range threats, including rockets, mortars, and drones.
This system evaluates whether a rocket will strike a populated area; if not, the rocket is disregarded and allowed to impact safely.
The Iron Dome was initially promoted as providing city-sized coverage against rockets with ranges between 4 and 70 kilometers (about 2.5 to 43 miles), but experts suggest that its capabilities have since expanded.
How Does It Compare to Reagan’s Star Wars Initiative?
“We will be fulfilling the mission that President Reagan initiated four decades ago, ultimately eliminating the missile threat to our homeland,” Trump stated on Tuesday.
The concept of equipping satellites with rocket launchers or lasers to intercept enemy intercontinental ballistic missiles is not novel; it was part of the Star Wars initiative developed during Ronald Reagan’s presidency. However, it represents a significant and costly advancement from current technologies.
Reagan’s “Strategic Defense Initiative” (SDI), announced in 1983, aimed to create a defense system that could render nuclear weapons obsolete.
The core of the SDI was a plan for a space-based missile defense system capable of protecting the U.S. from large-scale nuclear attacks by identifying and automatically intercepting numerous incoming ballistic missiles during different phases of their trajectories. However, the SDI failed to materialize due to factors like high costs, technical challenges, difficulties in testing, and conflicts with existing anti-ballistic missile treaties.
Who Will Construct Golden Dome?
Elon Musk’s SpaceX, alongside software firm Palantir and drone manufacturer Anduril, is positioned as a key player in developing essential components of the Golden Dome system.
Many initial systems are anticipated to be sourced from existing production lines. During a recent White House press conference, L3Harris Technologies, Lockheed Martin, and RTX Corp were mentioned as potential contractors for this extensive project.
L3 has invested $150 million to expand its new facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where it produces Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor Satellites. These satellites are part of a Pentagon initiative aimed at improving detection and tracking of hypersonic weapons and could be adapted for the Golden Dome system.
However, funding for Golden Dome remains uncertain. Some Republican lawmakers have proposed an initial investment of $25 billion as part of a broader $150 billion defense package; however, this funding is contingent on a contentious reconciliation bill facing significant opposition in Congress.
