Egypt Daily News – Donald Trump announced a missile defense program called the “Golden Dome,” with a cost exceeding $175 billion, which includes the deployment of American weapons in space. China considered the project to be “undermining global stability,” while Russia described it as a matter of “U.S. sovereignty.”
President Donald Trump revealed plans to build a missile shield under the name “Golden Dome” aimed at protecting the United States from external attacks, confirming that it will be operational within three years.
Trump announced an initial allocation of $25 billion for the project, adding that the total cost could reach around $175 billion.
Speaking at the White House, Trump said, “During the election campaign, I promised the American people that I would build a very advanced missile shield,” adding, “I am pleased today to announce that we have officially chosen the structure of this advanced system.”
He explained, “The Golden Dome will be capable of intercepting missiles, even if they are launched from other parts of the world, or even from space. It is very important for the success of our country—and for its survival.”
The U.S. president noted that General Michael Guetlein from the U.S. Space Force would head the project, adding that Canada has expressed interest in participating because it “wants protection too.”
However, while Trump estimated the total project cost at $175 billion, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the cost of interceptor missiles to counter a limited number of intercontinental ballistic missiles could range from $161 billion to $542 billion over the next 20 years.
According to Politico magazine, to implement Trump’s vision, Congress would need to allocate an additional $150 billion over the next two years. The magazine added that the Trump administration would have to quickly decide how to spend such a large amount of money.
The Golden Dome also has broader goals, as Trump said it would “deploy next-generation technologies on land, at sea, and through space, including space-based sensors and interceptor missiles.”
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking alongside Trump, explained that the system is designed to protect the country from “cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and hypersonic missiles, whether conventional or nuclear.”
Trump had signed a decree at the end of January to build an “American Iron Dome,” which the White House described as an integrated missile defense shield to protect U.S. territory.
The proposed vision for the “Golden Dome” system includes ground- and space-based capabilities that can detect and intercept missiles during the four main phases of a potential attack: detection and pre-launch destruction, interception shortly after launch, interception during mid-flight, and final interception during the terminal phase as the missile nears its target.
Following Trump’s announcement, China warned that the project “undermines global stability,” accusing the United States of fueling an arms race.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, “China expresses deep concern about this. We urge the United States to abandon the development and deployment of a global missile defense system as soon as possible.”
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters, “This is a matter of U.S. sovereignty,” adding that “in the near future, the course of events will require the resumption of contacts to restore strategic stability” between Washington and Moscow.
Both Russia and China had earlier criticized the announcement, with Moscow comparing the project to a “Star Wars” initiative—a reference to the term used for the Strategic Defense Initiative launched during President Ronald Reagan’s administration during the Cold War.
Earlier this month, Moscow and Beijing criticized the Golden Dome concept, calling it “destabilizing” and warning that it threatens to turn space into a “battlefield.”
