Trump Names Space Force Vice Chief to Oversee Golden Dome Missile Defense Project
President Donald Trump has named a four-star Space Force general to oversee the development of Golden Dome -- the massively expensive space-based missile defense system promised during the first days of his second term.
During a press conference in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump named Gen. Michael Guetlein, the vice chief of space operations, as the "direct reporting program manager" for the effort to build a missile shield over the U.S.
"He has an unmatched background in missile warning technology and defense procurement," Trump said during the announcement. "Gen. Guetlein also knows that we need to move fast. No one is more qualified for this job."
Read Next: Secretary Noem Orders Coast Guard to Cut 25% of Flag Officer Positions
Trump's announcement did not provide many specific details regarding the companies and technologies that would be used to create the proposed space-based defense system, which the administration says would be capable of stopping all types of attacks on American soil including from ballistic, hypersonic and even nuclear missiles.
Inspired by Israel's Iron Dome defense system, which protects against short-range missile threats for a country roughly the size of New Jersey, Trump made a bold promise to create America's own system. He issued an executive order in the first month of his second term making it a top priority, and he claims it should be complete by the end of his time in office.
"This design for the Golden Dome will integrate with our existing defense capabilities and should be fully operational before the end of my term," Trump said. "So we'll have it done in about three years."
Trump claimed that a design had been selected and that it will cost roughly $175 billion to complete. That is less than the potential $542 billion to $831 billion high-end cost for Golden Dome over next 20 years projected by the Congressional Budget Office earlier this month.
In the Oval Office, Trump touted the $25 billion proposed for Golden Dome in a massive funding bill being pushed through Congress as a down payment of sorts for the project. Notably, that bill as a whole is facing opposition from Republicans and Democrats alike.
Guetlein, a four-star general who has served as the Space Force's second top officer since late 2023, thanked Trump for the new role and doubled down on support for the project.
"Golden Dome is a bold and aggressive approach to hurry up and protect the homeland from our adversaries," Guetlein said. "We owe it to our children and our children's children to protect them and afford them a quality of life that we have all grown up enjoying. Golden Dome will afford that."
Gen. Chance Saltzman, the Space Force's top uniformed leader, praised Guetlein's appointment in a statement on social media.
"No one is more uniquely qualified to make Golden Dome a reality than my teammate and brother-in-arms, Gen. Michael Guetlein," Saltzman said. "Congrats, Mike!"
Spokespeople for the Department of the Air Force did not immediately return a request for comment asking how Guetlein will balance the new role with his existing duties.
Todd Harrison, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute think tank who focuses on defense and space policy, said Guetlein was "an excellent choice and the ideal person to be leading an effort this complex."
Guetlein previously served as the head of Space Systems Command, deputy director and Air Force element commander of the National Reconnaissance Office, and was a program executive at the Missile Defense Agency, according to his biography.
Harrison added that besides naming the well-qualified general, there were many more details about the Golden Dome project that needed to be made public.
"Other than naming Guetlein, the whole event was disappointingly short on specifics," Harrison said.
Related: Options for Trump's Space-Based 'Golden Dome' Missile Defense Shield Head to Hegseth for Approval
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
14 minutes ago
- CNN
Trump asks aides if they think Musk's behavior could be related to alleged drug use, source says
Source: CNN President Donald Trump has asked aides and advisers if they believe Elon Musk's behavior over the past 48 hours could be related to his alleged drug use, privately seeking to understand the tech billionaire's broadsides against him while signaling publicly he doesn't care, a source familiar with the conversations told CNN. In his own telling, Trump is not wasting any time thinking about the man who, one week ago, was receiving a giant golden key in the Oval Office and has since lobbed insults toward its occupant. The president told CNN's Dana Bash in a brief phone call Friday morning he was 'not even thinking about Elon' and wouldn't be speaking to Musk 'for a while.' But questions about the spectacularly public break-up have come nonetheless. Talking to reporters on Air Force One Friday night, Trump said he would 'take a look at' canceling some of Musk's government contracts, a possibility he had floated on Truth Social in the height of their feud, and asserted the country would be fine without them. 'The US can survive without almost anybody – except me,' he said, adding that he was joking on the latter point. Though the source said Trump had privately inquired about Musk's alleged drug use, the president declined to weigh in on the matter publicly. 'I don't want to comment on his drug use. I don't know - I don't know what his status is,' he said on Air Force One, adding that New York Times reporting on the matter 'sounded very unfair.' CNN has reached out to a Musk representative. When Musk was asked about the report during his Oval Office farewell with Trump a week ago, he declined to answer and attacked the newspaper instead. The Times reported that Musk was 'using drugs far more intensely than previously known,' as he rose to prominence in Trump's inner circle in 2024, including 'using ketamine often, sometimes daily, and mixing it with other drugs,' according to people familiar. In a 2024 interview with Don Lemon, Musk acknowledged he took 'a small amount' of ketamine to treat negative moods, under a prescription, but that a heavy workload prevented him from using too much. Neither Musk nor his lawyer responded to the Times' request for comment about his drug use. CNN also reached out to his representative about the allegations at the time. Last week, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, whose wife Katie Miller left a job with the Department of Government Efficiency to work for Musk, told CNN he had no concerns over the New York Times report that Musk used drugs more extensively than previously known. In the day since the Trump-Musk feud erupted on their respective social media platforms, Trump's aides said the president has been focused on advancing that supersized bill that started the whole thing, and has directed his team to follow suit. His online presence Friday morning was limited to posts about the economy, without any mention of the tech billionaire. He spent the morning on the phone — not with Musk, but with the new president of South Korea, whom he invited to the US for talks. He chatted with the president of Poland about the upcoming NATO summit. And before traveling to Bedminster, New Jersey, in the evening, he stopped to tour a golf course. Whether the president is successful in turning attention away from the ugly spat remains to be seen. The Justice Department's announcement late Friday afternoon that Kilmar Abrego Garcia has returned to the US to face criminal counts began to shift the narrative. Nor was it precisely clear what effect the wreckage of the Trump-Musk alliance would have on the president's agenda bill being considered by Congress, on Musk's businesses or on the direction of the Republican Party. All seemed potentially caught in the undertow after the two men spent Thursday afternoon and evening lashing out at each other online. A tipping point for Trump and his advisers, people familiar with what was happening behind the scenes said, was Musk's linkage of the president to Jeffrey Epstein. Musk suggested the administration wasn't releasing information about the convicted pedophile because it invokes Trump. (Musk cited no evidence and gave no detail how he would have gained access to unreleased files.) White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called his claims an 'unfortunate episode' in a Thursday evening statement. After that, any chance of reconciliation appeared to be scuttled. For Trump, Musk's criticism of the major legislative package could only embolden Republicans who share the tech CEO's concerns the bill would explode the US deficit. Rep. Thomas Massie, who voted against the bill, told CNN that he thinks Musk's opposition could fuel buyer's remorse. And Rep. Michael McCaul, who supported it, said he worries that a prolonged fight between Musk and Trump could become a distraction for getting Trump's agenda passed, before going on to cite 'very good intelligence' that the two men would soon settle their spat. But Musk – who less than a month ago had said he'd spend 'a lot less' on politics – has also threatened to put his substantial spending power behind efforts to remove from office Republicans who vote for the bill. After spending more than $290 million to help elect Trump and Republicans last year, the future of Musk's political spending now appears unknown. Funds Musk privately promised to groups associated with Trump are now in doubt. One powerful Trump ally, Steve Bannon, suggested Trump use his power to go after Musk in multiple ways. He said on his 'War Room Live' show Thursday that Trump should begin deportation proceedings for Musk, saying he is 'illegal' and has 'got to go.' Musk was born in South Africa but became an American citizen in 2002. Bannon also suggested the Trump administration investigate Musk's alleged drug use, and potentially suspend his security clearance. Still, allies of both seemed to hold out hope the rupture would not be permanent, and that the two most dominant figures in current Republican politics might be able to patch things up. 'I'm not going to speak for either of them. I was with the president in the Oval Office yesterday afternoon as some of this unfolded. And I can just say he was disappointed. I mean, he said that himself. And I was, as well,' House Speaker Mike Johnson said Friday. 'I believe in redemption,' Johnson went on. 'I hope we can resolve it, get everybody together again. That's really important for all of us.' CNN's Hadas Gold, Molly English, Lauren Fox and Betsy Klein contributed to this report. See Full Web Article
14 minutes ago
Trump admin live updates: Supreme Court gives DOGE access to Social Security data
A bitter public feud between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk erupted on Thursday, with the Tesla billionaire agreeing to calls for Trump's impeachment while Trump suggested ending Musk's government contracts. Musk showed some signs of softening his tone, but Trump on Friday told ABC News Musk was a "man who has lost his mind" and that he was "not particularly" interested in talking to him right now. The spat began in part because of Musk's criticism of Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," a sweeping immigration and tax bill that would fund much of the president's domestic agenda.
CNN
14 minutes ago
- CNN
Study shows young men are bailing on Democrats
A new study shows young men have moved away from Democrats in 2024. Ilyse Hogue, co-founder of the Speaking with American Men Project, tells Michael Smerconish that while many men still support progressive values, they don't always see themselves represented in the Democratic party.
