The US president intends to have space-based missile interceptors in place before his term concludes.
President Trump has formally announced the launch of the “Golden Dome” initiative, a space-integrated shield intended to intercept missiles globally.
Trump, speaking from the Oval Office on Tuesday, called the roughly $175 billion project a major advancement in U.S. homeland security.
“The Golden Dome design will integrate with existing defenses and should be operational before my term ends,” Trump stated. “Once complete, it will be able to intercept missiles launched from anywhere, even from space.”
According to Trump, the missile shield will combine existing defense systems with new technologies across land, sea, and space, including orbital sensors and interceptors. Moscow has previously criticized the plan, calling it a destabilizing move towards the weaponization of space.
The administration defends the Golden Dome as crucial for defending the U.S. against growing missile threats from countries such as Russia and China, as well as other hostile entities, despite some skepticism. A recent Defense Intelligence Agency briefing cautioned that adversaries are actively creating systems to exploit weaknesses in American defenses.
Following Trump’s signing of an executive order in January, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that the U.S. move is “openly aimed” at weakening Russia and China’s strategic deterrents, adding that it “will not ease tensions or improve the strategic situation.”
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