Trump reveals plans for 'Golden Dome' missile defense system
1 of 5 | President Donald Trump announces plans for his ambitious "Golden Dome" missile defense shield, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. "The Golden Dome will be capable of intercepting missiles even if they're launched from the other side of the world and even if they're launched from space," Trump said. Photo by Chris Kleponis/UPI | License Photo
May 20 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump announced details Tuesday about his "Golden Dome" missile defense shield that is expected to cost $175 billion and be "fully operational" by the end of his term.
"We'll have it done in about three years. Once fully constructed, the Golden Dome will be capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from other sides of the world and even if they are launched from space," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, adding that Canada will be included in the project.
"Canada has called us and they want to be a part of it," Trump said. "So, we'll be talking to them. They want to have protection, also."
Trump's "Golden Dome" missile defense shield, which the president says will be made entirely in the United States, comes decades after former President Ronald Reagan's "Star Wars" vision failed to materialize. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday the technology is possible now.
"The technology wasn't there. Now it is," said Hegseth. "And you're following through to say we will protect the homeland from cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles, drones, whether they're conventional or nuclear."
Throughout his campaign and during his Joint Address to Congress, Trump has repeatedly called for a missile defense system, similar to Israel's "Iron Dome."
"In my next term, we will build a great Iron Dome over our country, a dome like has never been seen before, a state-of-the-art missile defense shield that will be entirely built in America," Trump told a Wisconsin rally last June.
"I will be asking Congress to fund a state-of-the-art Golden Dome missile defense shield to protect our homeland," Trump told Congress in March. "Ronald Reagan wanted to do it years ago, but the technology wasn't there."
Israel's multibillion dollar "Iron Dome" was developed to shield it from short-range and medium-range missile attacks. The dome successfully shielded Israel last April after Iran launched hundreds of missiles at the Jewish state.
While the United States has a Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system, it would not be able to defend against a large-scale attack from countries such as Russia, China, Iran or North Korea.
Earlier this month, Hegseth ordered the U.S. Army to modernize and prioritize its current resources to establish an effective "Golden Dome" air and missile defense system over the United States. That means ending obsolete systems and scaling back on the use of redundant programs, Hegseth said, as he called the "Golden Dome" a "generational investment in the security of America."
The specifics on the size and scope of the "Golden Dome" project, and whether the system would cover all parts of the United States, were not revealed Tuesday. Gen. Michael Guetlein, the Pentagon's vice chief of space operations, has been tapped to lead the project.
"The Defense Department has gathered the brightest minds and best technical talent available," said Sean Parnell, chief Pentagon spokesman. They will "review a full range of options that considers current U.S. missile defense technology and cutting-edge innovation to rapidly develop and field a dependable umbrella of protection for our homeland."
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