Trump to make Golden Dome announcement on Tuesday, US officials say
20 May 2025 19:55
WASHINGTON (Reuters)President Donald Trump is expected to announce the path forward and the leader of his ambitious Golden Dome missile defense shield on Tuesday, two US officials said.The vice chief of space operations, United States Space Force General Michael Guetlein, is expected to be in the Oval Office this afternoon where the officials, who declined to be identified, said that it was likely he will be named as the lead program manager on the multibillion-dollar project widely viewed as the keystone to Trump's military planning.Trump plans to make a 3 pm ET (1900 GMT) announcement with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, the White House said in an update to the president's schedule.The Golden Dome missile defense shield, first ordered by Trump in January, aims to create a network of satellites to detect, track and potentially intercept incoming missiles. The shield could deploy hundreds of satellites for missile detection and tracking.Golden Dome is estimated to cost tens of billions of dollars and take years to implement, as the program faces both political scrutiny and funding uncertainty.Trump's Golden Dome is extensive and includes a massive array of surveillance satellites and a separate fleet of attacking satellites that would shoot down offensive missiles soon after lift-off.
The project's funding remains uncertain. Republican lawmakers have proposed a $25 billion initial investment for Golden Dome as part of a broader $150 billion defense package, but this funding is tied to a contentious reconciliation bill that faces significant hurdles in Congress.
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