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NDTV
4 days ago
- Business
- NDTV
Donald Trump's Golden Dome Still Shrouded In Mystery, Even For Its Builders
The companies expected to create President Donald Trump's " Golden Dome for America" know the objective: to protect the US from missiles and airborne threats. They know it means billions of dollars' worth of contracts. But they don't know much about what, exactly, they are expected to do - and at an event last week, the government officials who might tell them weren't even allowed to mention the project by name. Attendees at the 28th annual Space and Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama, saw signs early on that the topic on everyone's minds might be tricky to discuss. Before the event even began, the industry groups hosting it removed a Golden Dome-focused panel. "Information regarding Golden Dome for America will be promulgated by the government," they said. Major defense contractors, including Lockheed Martin Corp., RTX Corp. and Northrop Grumman, prepared slick websites and flashy sideshows for the conference to demonstrate how their work fits with the president's vision for an air and missile defense network protecting the entire US. Their executives were all singing the same tune: The project is so ambitious and potentially lucrative that there's a role for everyone, and plenty of opportunity for collaboration, including between startups and nontraditional defense companies. Just don't ask the government for details. "In the last six months I've walked into many, many rooms and said, 'I can't take any questions on you-know-what,' and I've never received a question other than something about you-know-what," Air Force Lieutenant General Heath Collins, director of the Missile Defense Agency, said to laughter after delivering closing remarks at the event. Golden Dome will include existing systems, accelerated development of advanced technology, and ultimately new components such as space-based interceptors, according to Trump, who announced his plan for the program in one of his first executive orders after returning to the presidency. He also has said the project will be fully operational before the end of his term and will cost $175 billion. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the price tag for a network of space-based interceptors could be as high as $542 billion over 20 years. Space Force General Michael Guetlein, who is leading the project, is expected to unveil its architecture by mid-September. At the conference, industry representatives showcased their hardware, including RTX's Patriot missile defense system, which uses Lockheed Martin's PAC-3 MSE interceptor, and Northrop Grumman's Integrated Battle Command System, as they sought insight from the government on how the pieces will fit together. Companies also pointed to the work they or their corporate predecessors had done on President Ronald Reagan's space-based Strategic Defense Initiative - the so-called "Star Wars" missile defense program that fizzled in the 1980s - saying they were up for the challenge of making it work 40 years later. Riki Ellison, founder and chairman of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, said on the sidelines of the symposium that not being able to speak openly about an "executive order that is out in the public, that we're going to build this in three years for $175 billion - it just delays this process and puts more pressure to get this thing in play." None of the industry or academic sources interviewed for this article knew why there were such restrictions. In a statement, the Pentagon declined to disclose further information because of operational concerns, saying only that the Defense Department is gathering information to support Golden Dome. The Pentagon has declined so far to detail which organization compiled the $175 billion estimate, how many years it covered, an annual breakdown of the costs and categories on which the money would be spent. "It would be imprudent for us to release further information at this time," Pentagon spokesperson Kingsley Wilson told reporters last week. Space Force General Guetlein "just got in the building," said Wilson, who pledged to be "transparent where we can be" about a "very expensive" but "very critical" program. Not all of the government speakers at the event avoided the forbidden words. A NASA representative - notably not bound by the Pentagon's strictures - spoke about the work his agency is doing that could support Golden Dome, including advanced propulsion technologies and materials science. Industry representatives say they hope to learn more soon. The restriction on what can be discussed "seems to have been partially lifted and probably will be more lifted as we keep going through this," said Milton Carroll of Peraton, which aims to help Golden Dome systems communicate seamlessly. MDA's Collins also sounded an optimistic note, telling the defense officials, contractors and academics at the event that the program's launch presented a unique opportunity. "It's a fleeting moment," he said. "As history has shown, this doesn't last forever, and we need to make a monster change now." (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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Business Standard
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Trump's 'Golden Dome' still shrouded in mystery, even for its builders
The companies expected to create President Donald Trump's 'Golden Dome for America' know the objective: to protect the US from missiles and airborne threats. They know it means billions of dollars' worth of contracts. But they don't know much about what, exactly, they are expected to do — and at an event last week, the government officials who might tell them weren't even allowed to mention the project by name. Attendees at the 28th annual Space and Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama, saw signs early on that the topic on everyone's minds might be tricky to discuss. Before the event even began, the industry groups hosting it removed a Golden Dome-focused panel. 'Information regarding Golden Dome for America will be promulgated by the government,' they said. Major defense contractors, including Lockheed Martin Corp., RTX Corp. and Northrop Grumman, prepared slick websites and flashy sideshows for the conference to demonstrate how their work fits with the president's vision for an air and missile defense network protecting the entire US. Their executives were all singing the same tune: The project is so ambitious and potentially lucrative that there's a role for everyone, and plenty of opportunity for collaboration, including between startups and nontraditional defense companies. Just don't ask the government for details. 'In the last six months I've walked into many, many rooms and said, 'I can't take any questions on you-know-what,' and I've never received a question other than something about you-know-what,' Air Force Lieutenant General Heath Collins, director of the Missile Defense Agency, said to laughter after delivering closing remarks at the event. Golden Dome will include existing systems, accelerated development of advanced technology, and ultimately new components such as space-based interceptors, according to Trump, who announced his plan for the programme in one of his first executive orders after returning to the presidency. He also has said the project will be fully operational before the end of his term and will cost $175 billion. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated the price tag for a network of space-based interceptors could be as high as $542 billion over 20 years. Space Force General Michael Guetlein, who is leading the project, is expected to unveil its architecture by mid-September. At the conference, industry representatives showcased their hardware, including RTX's Patriot missile defense system, which uses Lockheed Martin's PAC-3 MSE interceptor, and Northrop Grumman's Integrated Battle Command System, as they sought insight from the government on how the pieces will fit together. Companies also pointed to the work they or their corporate predecessors had done on President Ronald Reagan's space-based Strategic Defense Initiative - the so-called 'Star Wars' missile defense program that fizzled in the 1980s — saying they were up for the challenge of making it work 40 years later. Riki Ellison, founder and chairman of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, said on the sidelines of the symposium that not being able to speak openly about an 'executive order that is out in the public, that we're going to build this in three years for $175 billion — it just delays this process and puts more pressure to get this thing in play.' None of the industry or academic sources interviewed for this article knew why there were such restrictions. In a statement, the Pentagon declined to disclose further information because of operational concerns, saying only that the Defense Department is gathering information to support Golden Dome. The Pentagon has declined so far to detail which organisation compiled the $175 billion estimate, how many years it covered, an annual breakdown of the costs and categories on which the money would be spent. 'It would be imprudent for us to release further information at this time,' Pentagon spokesperson Kingsley Wilson told reporters last week. Space Force General Guetlein 'just got in the building,' said Wilson, who pledged to be 'transparent where we can be' about a 'very expensive' but 'very critical' programme. Not all of the government speakers at the event avoided the forbidden words. A NASA representative — notably not bound by the Pentagon's strictures — spoke about the work his agency is doing that could support Golden Dome, including advanced propulsion technologies and materials science. Industry representatives say they hope to learn more soon. The restriction on what can be discussed 'seems to have been partially lifted and probably will be more lifted as we keep going through this,' said Milton Carroll of Peraton, which aims to help Golden Dome systems communicate seamlessly. MDA's Collins also sounded an optimistic note, telling the defense officials, contractors and academics at the event that the program's launch presented a unique opportunity. 'It's a fleeting moment,' he said. 'As history has shown, this doesn't last forever, and we need to make a monster change now.'
Mint
25-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
Swiss Admit Spat With US on Fighter Jet Price, Still Want F-35A
Switzerland and the US are at odds on the agreed price for three dozen F-35A fighter jets the country wants to buy from Lockheed Martin Corp., adding to existing tensions over US tariffs. The Swiss government said Wednesday that a price was set in the purchase deal, but that US officials have now said that this is a 'misunderstanding' and the planes will cost more. 'A contract is a contract, one should think,' National Armaments Director Urs Loher told reporters in Bern. 'But with respect to the purchase of the F-35A, we are now facing a different reality. Despite a set price, Switzerland is confronted' with as much as $1.3 billion of additional costs, he said. Switzerland didn't procure the fighter jets directly from Lockheed Martin, but via the US government, which is responsible for negotiating prices for the next production lines. The two countries have now started diplomatic talks to resolve the issue, Defense Minister Martin Pfister said. The Defense Ministry plan sees the acquisition of 36 planes for 6 billion francs to replace old jets in the Swiss air force. In 2020, Swiss voters very narrowly approved the purchase with the price capped at that amount. A report by public broadcaster SRF that costs will increase by more than 1 billion francs has previously stoked calls for a new debate in parliament or even another plebiscite. The purchase is also under attack due to the shift in US foreign policy, with left-wing politicians pushing for Switzerland to opt for a European supplier instead. According to the statement, Switzerland is sticking with its plan to buy the F-35A and is aiming for a 'diplomatic solution.' 'From a military point of view, buying the F-35A is imperative,' Loher said. 'Withdrawing from the contract would only be considered as a very, very last resort.' The deal isn't part of current trade talks with the US, Swiss President and Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter told reporters in Bern. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
GMA Network
28-05-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
Babe Romualdez: F-16s on Philippines' wishlist but land-based weapons a priority
'The F-16 will continue to be part of the overall plan, perhaps, in the future. But as of now, as I said, our priority is more on land-based type of defense capabilities,' Romualdez told selected journalists from Japan and the Philippines on a reporting tour of the US funded by the US State Department. WASHINGTON - The Philippines is hoping to acquire fighter jets like the F-16s being offered by the United States, but will prioritize land-based weapons that are more affordable for its national defense, Philippine Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez said Tuesday. The Philippines is working with the US and Lockheed Martin Corp., the Bethesda, Maryland-based aircraft manufacturer, to determine how it can finance the major F-16 acquisition. Romualdez, however, said, 'We're really looking at other items that are, in view of our national defense strategy, more important than the F-16s.' 'The F-16 will continue to be part of the overall plan, perhaps, in the future. But as of now, as I said, our priority is more on land-based type of defense capabilities,' Romualdez told selected journalists from Japan and the Philippines on a reporting tour of the US funded by the US State Department. The Philippines is the oldest treaty ally of the United States in Asia and both have boosted defense ties under former President Joe Biden and the current Trump administration in the face of China's increasing aggressive actions in the disputed West Philippine Sea. The U.S. has helped in efforts to modernize the Armed Forces of the Philippines for years aside from staging large-scale combat-readiness exercises every year, including the Balikatan military exercises that has increasingly focused on strengthening the Armed Forces of the Philippines' capability to defend the country's territorial interests in the disputed waters. 'As I said the F-16, it's an aspiration that we've had for many, many years. There are other offers from other countries like the Gripen, which is actually made in Sweden. But there's a question of affordability,' Romualdez said. The US State Department announced Washington's approval of the major F-16s sale following the visit in Manila of Sec. Pete Hegseth, who announced the Trump administration's support to help modernize the AFP's firepower and military capabilities to help deter China's growing aggression in the South China Sea. Hegseth also reaffirmed the Trump administration's "iron-clad" commitment to its obligations under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, which obliges the allies to help defend one another in case of an external attack. Washington's assistance is crucial to Manila's efforts to modernize its armed forces, one of Asia's most underfunded, as it seeks to strengthen its maritime capability amid an increasingly aggressive China, which has repeatedly harassed and threatened Philippine vessels and aircraft in the West Philippine Sea. 'That's the reason why we tell our friends here in the United States that our economic prosperity and our economic security are tied into our defense security,' Romualdez said. 'If we have the wherewithal we will be able to bring our country's armed forces into being a real partner to the United States, which I think is what the administration of President Trump would like to see - that countries should be able to defend themselves in partnership with the United States,' he said. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro is conducting an overall study to determine 'what is really the best in terms of the capabilities that we need,' Romualdez said. 'At the end of the day, of course, depending on our resources, and the capability to be able to finance these purchases in the long-term, that's what's important,' Romualdez said. –NB, GMA Integrated News
Bloomberg
29-04-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
F-35's Inventory Failings Are Issue in Pentagon's Audit Failure
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has promised to produce a first-ever 'clean' audit of the Pentagon by 2028, but the F-35, the costliest US weapons system, poses one of the biggest obstacles. For the sixth straight year, failures in tracking the inventory of spare parts and equipment for the fighter jet built by Lockheed Martin Corp. were a 'material weakness' contributing to the continuing inability to achieve a successful account of the military's finances, according to the Pentagon comptroller and inspector general.
