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Trump, Donald

The Proposed Golden Dome Missile Defense System: A Nationwide Shield

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The United States is considering a major expansion of its missile defense capabilities with the proposed Golden Dome system, announced by President Donald Trump on May 20, 2025. The system aims to protect the country from ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic missiles, as well as missiles launched from space. Trump has requested a budget of $25 billion to launch the initiative, with a projected total cost of $175 billion.

Key Takeaways:

  • The proposed Golden Dome system aims to protect the United States from ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic missiles, as well as missiles launched from space.
  • The system will consist of a global array of geographically distributed sensors, including ground, sea, air, and space-based sensors, to detect and track missile threats.
  • The interceptors will be enhanced to enable them to address hypersonic weapons and other missiles and warheads that can maneuver.
  • The system will require new types of sensors to detect hypersonic vehicles and new sensor platforms that are able to provide a complete picture of the hypersonic trajectory.
  • Golden Dome will build from the legacy of existing U.S. missile defense systems and some of the new capabilities have been under active development for years.
  • The system will not aim for 100% protection, but rather achieve deterrence by changing the calculus in an opponent's thinking to the point where they will consider it not worth shooting their precious high-value missiles at the U.S.
  • The proposed funding of $25 billion represents only 2.5% of the total requested defense budget of $1 trillion in 2026.
  • Golden Dome will differ from Iron Dome in its wider geographical scope and broader variety of threats it will defend against, and will potentially use directed energy weapons in the future.

Statistics:

  • The proposed Golden Dome system will cost $175 billion.
  • The budget for Golden Dome is $25 billion.
  • The total requested defense budget in 2026 is $1 trillion.
  • The Golden Dome system will require a global array of geographically distributed sensors, including:

+ Ground-based sensors: 100s of sites worldwide

+ Sea-based sensors: 10s of ships and submarines

+ Air-based sensors: 100s of aircraft and drones

+ Space-based sensors: 50+ satellites

  • The system will require new types of sensors to detect hypersonic vehicles and new sensor platforms to provide a complete picture of the hypersonic trajectory.

Sources:

  • [The Conversation -- USA -- By Iain Boyd, Director of the Center for National Security Initiatives and Professor of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder](https://theconversation.com/golden-dome-an-aerospace-engineer-explains-the-proposed-nationwide-missile-defense-system-257408)
  • [CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/)
  • [Lockheed Martin Corporation](https://www.lockheedmartin.com/)
  • [U.S. Department of Defense](https://www.defense.gov/)

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