Trump Unveils $175B ‘Golden Dome’ Missile Shield to Counter Global Threats

Trump Unveils $175B ‘Golden Dome’ Missile Shield to Counter Global Threats.

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday a sweeping new missile defense initiative, the “Golden Dome” that would cost an estimated $175 billion and promises to shield the entire continental United States and Canada from advanced missile threats, including those launched from space.

Unveiling the project from the Oval Office, Trump stood alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and General Michael Guetlein of the U.S. Space Force, who will lead the effort. Trump framed the initiative as a matter of national survival, calling it a “Manhattan Project-scale” mission to reassert American dominance in aerospace defense.

“It is a great day for America,” Trump declared, seated beside a gold-tinged map of the U.S. illustrating the planned defense coverage. “The Golden Dome will protect our people like never before.”

A New Kind of Shield

The Golden Dome will leverage a constellation of satellites and cutting-edge intercept systems to monitor and neutralize missile threats in real time, even those launched from orbit. The plan represents a dramatic leap from early ideas pitched as an “Iron Dome for America,” which officials have since rebranded due to trademark issues.

General Guetlein compared the program’s scope to the legendary WWII nuclear effort, stressing it would require leadership, coordination, and innovation on a national scale.

Major defense contractor Lockheed Martin has emerged as a key player in the mission, aligning with Trump’s vision of mobilizing both defense and commercial sectors to secure the homeland.

“The fastest, most efficient path to a Golden Dome for America is to bring the best of the defense and commercial industries together,” a Lockheed Martin statement reads.

“This is a Manhattan Project-scale mission, one that is both urgent and crucial to America’s security.”

The company has already proven its leadership in missile defense software.

As head of the Missile Defense Agency’s National Team for C2BMC, Lockheed Martin built the most powerful missile defense command network in the world, linking U.S. forces around the globe 24/7.

Lockheed Martin emphasized its history of working across industry boundaries, partnering with legacy defense firms, emerging tech companies, and new contractors to integrate both proven and next-generation capabilities.

Their approach reflects the growing trend of defense-commercial collaboration, with players like SpaceX, Palantir, and Anduril also lined up for major roles in deploying satellites, AI systems, and intercept technology.

Price Tag and Pushback

While President Donald Trump touted the project as cost-effective and game-changing, others aren’t convinced. A 2012 National Research Council report suggested that a fully operational space-based missile shield could cost upwards of $831 billion.

Senator Tim Sheehy, a Montana Republican and Golden Dome advocate, recently warned the total could “likely cost in the trillions” by the time it’s complete.

A proposed $27 billion down payment is currently being debated in Congress as part of a larger defense and tax reform package.

Critics, including physicist Laura Grego of the Union of Concerned Scientists, remain sharply skeptical.

“Space-based missile defense is a bad investment,” she said. “It’s expensive, technically unproven, and easily undermined by countermeasures.”

Strategic Risks and a New Era

The Golden Dome has also raised alarms internationally, with China and Russia accusing the U.S. of igniting a new arms race in space. At the same time, Canada has expressed interest in integrating the system into the NORAD framework.

Whether the Golden Dome proves to be a historic leap in national defense, or another bold but unfulfilled promise, will depend on funding, technology, and political will.

Trump Unveils $175B ‘Golden Dome’ Missile Shield to Counter Global Threats