&w=3840&q=100)
US warns of missile threats that Donald Trump's Golden Dome may face
The DIA released a chart as a prelude to a White House announcement regarding threats to the US that the Golden Dome missile defense umbrella, a priority of President Donald Trump, would counter
Bloomberg
China may within a decade possess scores of orbiting missiles with nuclear payloads capable of reaching the US with much shorter flight times than traditional intercontinental ballistic missiles, the Defense Intelligence Agency said Tuesday.
The agency released a chart as a prelude to a White House announcement regarding threats to the US that the Golden Dome missile defense umbrella, a priority of President Donald Trump, would counter.
The chart depicted potential advancements in increased traditional intercontinental ballistic missile capabilities among adversaries, including China, Iran and Russia. China, according to the chart, could field as many as 700 nuclear-tipped ICBMs by 2035 up from 400 today; Iran 60, up from none today. Russia's inventory could grow to 400 from 350 now.
More significantly, the chart showed the potential growth in China and less in Russia of orbiting, nuclear-armed space-based missiles in a 'Fractional Orbital Bombardment System,' or FOBS.
The weapon enters 'a low-altitude orbit before reentering to strike its target, with much shorter flight times if flying the same direction as traditional ICBMs, or can travel over the South Pole to avoid early warning systems and missile defenses,' the agency said. 'It releases its payload before completing a full orbit.'
DIA projected China could possess 60 of these weapons by 2035 from none today, and Russia 12 from zero today.
The disclosure in 2021 that China executed a FOBS test flight set off alarms within the US military.
'What we saw was a very significant event of a test of a weapon system. And it is very concerning,' Mark Milley, then the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in an October 2021 interview on Bloomberg Television. 'I don't know if it's quite a Sputnik moment, but I think it's very close to that. It has all of our attention.'
Separately, the DIA chart forecast that China might field by 2035 as many as 4,000 'Hypersonic Glide Vehicles,' up from 600 today. The vehicles are launched by ballistic missiles and glide for at least half of their flight to targets. They can be armed with a nuclear warhead, but China may already 'have deployed a conventional' weapon 'with sufficient range to strike Alaska,' according to the chart.
As of now, the Defense Department and White House have offered few specifics regarding the Golden Dome's architecture, timelines and cost.
'No one has really defined what the Golden Dome is,' Representative Ken Calvert, chairman of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, said in an interview last week. 'Is it defending the entire Lower 48 and Alaska? What are we doing and how are we doing it? I've heard from every consultant in town that's trying to get in the middle of this thing.'
The US may have to spend as much as $542 billion over 20 years to develop and launch the least proven and likely most contentious segment of the system — the network of space-based interceptors, the Congressional Budget Office said last week.
That network could cost $161 billion even at the low end, the office said in an assessment prepared for a subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The price tag will depend on launch costs and the number of weapons put into orbit, it said.
Trump's plan harkens back to former President Ronald Reagan's unfulfilled quest for a space-based missile defense system that was widely known as 'Star Wars.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
17 minutes ago
- First Post
Trump's tariff hike on steel and aluminium likely to hit Indian exporters, say experts
US President Donald Trump's announcement to double tariffs on imported steel and aluminium will impact Indian exporters, particularly those engaged in valueadded and finished steel products and autocomponents, experts say. read more Experts warn that US President Donald Trump's decision to double tariffs on steel and aluminium imports could significantly affect Indian exporters, especially those dealing in finished steel products and auto components. The move has raised concerns among trade analysts, who urge the government to address the issue directly with US officials through diplomatic channels. On May 30, Trump declared that existing tariffs would be doubled starting June 4. This decision falls under Section 232 of the US Trade Expansion Act of 1962, a statute that empowers the president to impose trade barriers if imports are considered a threat to national security. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump initially used this legal provision in 2018 to impose a 25% tariff on steel and 10% on aluminium imports. The aluminium tariff was increased to 25% in February 2025. According to the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), India will feel the impact of these changes directly. In the fiscal year 2024–25, India exported $4.56 billion worth of iron, steel, and aluminium-related goods to the United States. These included $587.5 million in raw iron and steel, $3.1 billion in value-added iron or steel products, and $860 million in aluminium and related items. 'These exports are now exposed to sharply higher US tariffs, threatening the profitability of Indian producers and exporters,' GTRI founder Ajay Srivastava said. India has already issued a formal notice at the World Trade Organization (WTO) signalling its intention to impose retaliatory tariffs on US goods in response to the earlier steel tariffs. 'With Trump now doubling the tariffs, it remains to be seen whether India will carry out the retaliation by increasing tariffs on certain US exports within a month,' he said. The Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) President S C Ralhan said the proposed increase in import duty will have a significant bearing on India's steel exports, especially in semi-finished and finished categories like stainless steel pipes, structural steel components, and automotive steel parts. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'These products are part of India's growing engineering exports, and higher duties could erode our price competitiveness in the American market,' he said. The US is among the top destinations for Indian steel manufacturers, who have been gradually increasing market share through high-quality production and competitive pricing. 'Such sharp increases in tariffs send discouraging signals to global trade and manufacturing supply chains. We urge the government to take up the issue at the bilateral level to ensure that Indian exporters are not unfairly disadvantaged… as 25 per cent additional duty will be a huge burden, which is difficult to be absorbed by the exporter/importer,' Ralhan said. The FIEO chief also emphasised on the need for Indian exporters to diversify their markets and invest in higher-grade value-added products to mitigate the impact of such protectionist measures. With inputs from agencies
Deccan Herald
29 minutes ago
- Deccan Herald
Amid Trump's 'ceasefire' claims, Nath hails Indira Gandhi for resisting US pressure during 1971 war
Nath's statement at the MP Congress' 'Jai Hind Sabha' here came in the backdrop of US President Donald Trump repeatedly asserting that he got India and Pakistan to end hostilities triggered by Operation Sindoor.
The Print
32 minutes ago
- The Print
LAC tensions, China aiding Pakistan's WMD ambitions—what US flagged in annual worldwide threat report
The report says Pakistan perceives India as an 'existential threat' and will continue to pursue its military 'modernisation effort, including the development of battlefield nuclear weapons, to offset India's conventional military advantage'. The report, released earlier this month, also said sometimes these supplies are transshipped through Hong Kong, Singapore, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. New Delhi: Pakistan almost 'certainly procures' foreign materials and technology for Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) from foreign suppliers and intermediaries, 'very likely acquired primarily from suppliers in China', the United States' Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has said in its 2025 Worldwide Threat Assessment report. The report has further said the 'ongoing tensions along India and China's Line of Actual Control border demarcation are capable of escalating quickly'. Referring to the troop disengagement in Depsang and Demchok in Eastern Ladakh in October last year, it says 'the disengagement did not resolve the longstanding dispute about border demarcation but reduced some tension still lingering' since the 2020 Galwan clash, with India considering China its 'primary adversary' and viewing Pakistan as 'an ancillary security problem to be managed despite cross-border attacks in mid-May by both India's and Pakistan's militaries'. Notably, Pakistan deployed Chinese-supplied fighters such as JF-17 and J10C, PL-15E beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) against India during the military hostilities between 7 and 10 May. Besides, multiple reports indicate that Pakistan is expected to receive the fifth-generation J-35A fighter jet from China later this year. Subsequently, the assessment states that Pakistan 'primarily is a recipient' of Beijing's 'economic and military largesse' and its forces conduct multiple military exercises with Chinese forces every year. 'Foreign materials and technology supporting Pakistan's WMD programs are very likely acquired primarily from suppliers in China and sometimes are transshipped through Hong Kong, Singapore, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates,' the report said. India had launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of 7 May, targeting nine terror training camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). The strikes came in retaliation to the 22 April terror attack in Pahalgam, carried out by terrorists trained and backed by Pakistan, which claimed the lives of 26 tourists. Pakistan reached out to Indian Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai 10 May to propose cessation of hostilities. The report released just the day after describes the escalation in detail, stating it included 'rounds of missile, drone and loitering munition attacks, and heavy artillery fire, by both militaries from 7 to 10 May'. Also Read:All about J-35A, the Chinese fifth-generation stealth fighter Pakistan plans to acquire On China A substantive portion of the DIA report focuses on China's rapid military and nuclear modernisation. The report estimates that China's operational nuclear warhead count has surpassed 600 and could exceed 1,000 by 2030. These warheads will 'be maintained at higher readiness levels to enable faster response times during conflicts,' it adds. On countering Beijing's expanding influence, it says that India is 'boosting its global leadership role' by advancing bilateral defence partnerships in the Indian Ocean region and increasing its participation in multilateral forums. These include the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) with the US, Australia and Japan; the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa); the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The paper also highlights India's strengthening of its nuclear triad and deterrence capabilities in 2024 by 'conducting the test of the nuclear-capable Agni-I Prime medium range ballistic missile (MRBM) and the Agni-V multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle while also commissioning its second nuclear-powered submarine'. India had commissioned its second nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), INS Arighaat, in August last year. The DIA further outlines India's focus on building indigenous defence capabilities through the 'Make in India' initiative, aimed at modernising the armed forces and mitigating supply chain risks. The assessment also says that, despite a reduction in arms procurement from Moscow, India will maintain its relationship with Russia 'since it views its ties to Russia as important for achieving its economic and defence objectives'. It adds that India continues to rely on 'Russian-origin spare parts to sustain a significant portion of its tank and fighter aircraft inventory', which has been described as 'the backbone of its military's ability to counter perceived threats from China and Pakistan'. (Edited by Ajeet Tiwari) Also Read: India used this battlefield hack to keep Soviet-era missile systems firing against Pakistan in Op Sindoor
