[This project is a really bad idea on so many levels I don't know where to start. Beyond the cost it is EXTREMELY destabilizing when it comes to nuclear deterrence and a future arms race. FWIW Russia is already on record stating they currently have the technology to defeat something like this. All it takes is a dozen or so large Russian or Chinese nukes to essentially destroy the current version of the USA . . . SC]

By Martin Armstrong - August 5, 2025

The United States is preparing to launch the Golden Dome project, a large-scale missile defense system to actively shield the nation against all threats by space, land, and sea. Inspired by Israel’s Iron Dome system and Reagan’s historic Strategic Defense Initiative, the Golden Dome would be the largest missile defense system in American history.

Donald Trump first proposed the idea in January 2025, but plans are underway to complete the project by the end of Trump’s second term. “They want a win to point to in November [2028],” a defense official told CNN. “And DoD [Department of Defense] wants to avoid anything they perceive will slow them down.”

The official called the proposed defense system “technically risky” due to the number of satellites required to achieve success. Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein commented, “I think the real technical challenge will be building of the space-based interceptor. That technology exists, I believe. I believe we have proven every element of the physics, that we can make it work. What we have not proven is, first, can I do it economically, and then second, can I do it at scale? Can I build enough satellites to get after the threat? Can I expand the industrial base fast enough to build those satellites?” The Missile Defense Agency, expected to be called FTI-X for Flight Test Integrated, has plans to begin testing the system in 2028.

The project will cost the United States $175 billon dollars, or at least that is the extremely low figure the White House is stating. The $25 billion down payment was allocated under the Big Beautiful Bill spending package, but the government currently estimates it will take 20 years to pay the bill in its entirety. Some predictions state the costs could spike into the trillions if the project evolves and new technology is required . . .

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