Latest news with #MissileDefenseProject
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
The problem(s) with Trump's latest pitch for a ‘Golden Dome' defense shield
Donald Trump's West Point commencement speech over the weekend could've gone better. As Politico's Jeff Greenfield summarized, the president's remarks were 'a narcissistic [and] deranged rant.' What's more, while other modern presidents have stuck around after their speeches to shake hands with cadets, Trump did not — a move Greenfield described as 'just another insult.' But of particular interest was the president using the platform to touch on one of his curious national security priorities. USA Today reported: The president did briefly mention his plan of investing $25 billion toward building a massive anti-missile defense shield that seeks to cover the country with three layers of aerial protection, according to military officials. 'We're building the Golden Dome missile defense shield to protect our homeland and to protect West Point from attack, and it will be completed before I leave office,' Trump said. Yes, he's still serious about this. Trump spent much of 2024 talking up the idea of an 'Iron Dome' comparable to Israel's defense system, though the Republican seemed to struggle with the details: The whole point of Israel's 'dome' is to protect it from short-range missiles. Unless Trump is worried about Canada or Mexico launching a surprise attack, it stands to reason that the United States would focus on other national security priorities. Nevertheless, in early 2024, Trump told a New Hampshire audience, in reference to a proposed shield and those who would oversee it, 'And they calmly walk to us, and ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. They've only got 17 seconds to figure this whole thing out, right. Boom. OK. Missile launch. Whoosh. Boom.' I still don't know what that was supposed to mean. Nevertheless, in time, the idea evolved. 'Iron dome' became 'Golden Dome' (because everything related to Trump now must be gold), and instead of developing a shield to intercept short-range missiles, the president apparently envisions a system that would intercept all missiles. There's no shortage of problems with such an idea. For example, U.S. officials have been trying to make a system like this work for decades, and they've always failed. What's more, Trump told the public last week that the 'total cost' of such an initiative would be 'about $175 billion,' which is laughable: The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the actual cost of the president's 'Golden Dome' could be as high as $831 billion. But I'm also stuck on the idea that this nonexistent, experimental, technological breakthrough will be ready to go within three years. As The Hill reported, it's an idea that left experts 'scratching their heads.' Such a system, as called for by Trump via a January executive order, would take far more than the 'two and a half to three years' he boasted in the Oval Office on Tuesday, according to Melanie Marlowe, a senior associate with the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Missile Defense Project. 'Golden Dome is not going to be an impenetrable missile shield across the entire United States of America,' Marlowe told The Hill, adding that the system will require both short- and long-term effort to come together. ... 'We will not have space-based interceptors in three years,' she told The Hill. The New York Times' W.J. Hennigan added that the 'Golden Dome' would also likely 'consist of 100 or more programs to be stitched together for a coast-to-coast, border-to-border shield against aerial attacks. Once those components are built, the military will need a way to orchestrate it all through a command-and-control system.' The more Trump suggests that all of this can be done quickly, effectively and affordably, the more he sets himself up for inevitable failure. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
North Korea slams Trump's ‘Golden Dome' plan: ‘Height of self-righteousness'
North Korea on Tuesday slammed President Trump for his plans to create the Golden Dome missile defense system. Officials in Pyongyang dubbed the effort 'the height of self-righteousness, arrogance, high-handed and arbitrary practice' read a memorandum issued by the Institute for American Studies, according to state media. The country now joins Russia and China in their critique of the United States' outer space defense system, projected by Trump to cost $175 billion. The Golden Dome model is expected to mirror Israel's Iron Dome, intercepting scheduled strikes from near and far in the outer space realm. North Korea's leaders have skirted the idea that the project's development stems from the threat of war but seeks to provoke a nuclear war instead. 'Under the pretext of defending its mainland, it has been hell-bent on building a missile defense system targeting the independent sovereign states including the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea]. Clear is the reason why the U.S. is scheming to freeze the so-called 'threat' from sovereign states as a pretext for modernizing its missile defense system, persistently spinning out the time-worn sophism just like a guilty party filing the suit first,' the memorandum read. 'It is to preemptively attain military superiority in an all-round way by justifying its hegemony-oriented moves for space arms buildup and accelerating outer space militarization behind the screen of 'mainland defence' and to launch the military strike at its enemy states at its will by relying on it,' it added. The Trump administration said the system would take three years to build, culminating at the end of the president's second term. However, experts have doubted its completion in the short timeline, suggesting the Golden Dome's development would need significant extensions and bipartisan support. 'We will not have space-based interceptors in three years,' Melanie Marlowe, a senior associate with the Center for Strategic and International Studies's Missile Defense Project, previously told The Hill. 'That is a very challenging and expensive problem to solve. But if we start moving quickly, we can make good progress on getting missiles, radars, and satellite constellations in that time frame,' she added. In response to the upscaled U.S. military effort, North Korea has vowed to ramp up its security with strengthened defense measures. 'The global security environment, which is becoming uncertain due to the U.S. undisguised moves for space militarization, proves that the security of the state and the region can be reliably guaranteed only by the symmetry of the matchless power capable of firmly bringing not only the current challenges but also the coming challenges under its control,' the memorandum stressed, according to state media. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
North Korea slams Trump's ‘Golden Dome' plan: ‘Height of self-righteousness'
North Korea on Tuesday slammed President Trump for his plans to create the Golden Dome missile defense system. Officials in Pyongyang dubbed the effort 'the height of self-righteousness, arrogance, high-handed and arbitrary practice' read a memorandum issued by the Institute for American Studies, according to state media. The country now joins Russia and China in their critique of the United States' outer space defense system, projected by Trump to cost $175 billion. The Golden Dome model is expected to mirror Israel's Iron Dome, intercepting scheduled strikes from near and far in the outer space realm. North Korea's leaders have skirted the idea that the project's development stems from the threat of war but seeks to provoke a nuclear war instead. 'Under the pretext of defending its mainland, it has been hell-bent on building a missile defense system targeting the independent sovereign states including the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea]. Clear is the reason why the U.S. is scheming to freeze the so-called 'threat' from sovereign states as a pretext for modernizing its missile defense system, persistently spinning out the time-worn sophism just like a guilty party filing the suit first,' the memorandum read. 'It is to preemptively attain military superiority in an all-round way by justifying its hegemony-oriented moves for space arms buildup and accelerating outer space militarization behind the screen of 'mainland defence' and to launch the military strike at its enemy states at its will by relying on it,' it added. The Trump administration said the system would take three years to build, culminating at the end of the president's second term. However, experts have doubted its completion in the short timeline, suggesting the Golden Dome's development would need significant extensions and bipartisan support. 'We will not have space-based interceptors in three years,' Melanie Marlowe, a senior associate with the Center for Strategic and International Studies's Missile Defense Project, previously told The Hill. 'That is a very challenging and expensive problem to solve. But if we start moving quickly, we can make good progress on getting missiles, radars, and satellite constellations in that time frame,' she added. In response to the upscaled U.S. military effort, North Korea has vowed to ramp up its security with strengthened defense measures. 'The global security environment, which is becoming uncertain due to the U.S. undisguised moves for space militarization, proves that the security of the state and the region can be reliably guaranteed only by the symmetry of the matchless power capable of firmly bringing not only the current challenges but also the coming challenges under its control,' the memorandum stressed, according to state media.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's Golden Dome timeline prompts head-scratching
Experts are scratching their heads at President Trump's ambitious, three-year timeline for Golden Dome, a next-generation missile defense system he says is essential for the future of U.S. security. Intended to protect the skies over the continental United States, Golden Dome would mark a bold move into space, promising a network of space-based missiles launched from satellites to intercept missiles launched from the ground. But the expensive, untested technology is still years away from being fielded. Such a system, as called for by Trump via a January executive order, would take far more than the 'two and a half to three years' he boasted in the Oval Office on Tuesday, according to Melanie Marlowe, a senior associate with the Center for Strategic and International Studies's Missile Defense Project. 'Golden Dome is not going to be an impenetrable missile shield across the entire United States of America,' Marlowe told The Hill, adding that the system will require both short- and long-term effort to come together. Trump's claims the system could be finished in three years are seen as lofty given the sheer amount of satellites needed to cover and protect the entire U.S. via sensing and tracking missiles — some 400 to more than 1,000 satellites, Reuters reported. Another 200 attack satellites armed with missiles or lasers would need to be built to knock down enemy armaments, the first time such weapons would be put in space. But that technology has yet to be demonstrated. Marlowe said the two tracks in building out Golden Dome include a faster undertaking to ramp up munitions and missiles — which the U.S. has been expanding rapidly in the Red Sea in its strikes on Houthi militants in Yemen or shipped to Ukraine for its war with Russia — as well as radars and sensors to detect and track rapidly moving hypersonic threats. While it's feasible for those parts to be funded, partially completed, and a lot of it at least started in three years, the system's need for space-based interceptors will be a daunting challenge. 'We will not have space-based interceptors in three years,' she told The Hill. 'That is a very challenging and expensive problem to solve. But if we start moving quickly, we can make good progress on getting missiles, radars, and satellite constellations in that time frame.' Also being questioned is Golden Dome's purported $175 billion price tag, which Trump also announced on Tuesday. That number, the details of which are still unknown, is far below estimates from the Congressional Budget Office, which pegged the figure at more than $500 billion over 20 years to develop. And while the system is poised to receive $25 billion to jump-start its creation — money included in the GOP's reconciliation bill passed by the House on Thursday morning — it's unclear how it will be funded past those initial dollars. If there is not a lot of political support for Golden Dome, the system is likely to end in three years, Marlowe said. 'It would be wise for Republican supporters of the Golden Dome framework to reach across the aisle and find support from Democratic colleagues,' she said, noting that a lot of the systems built for Golden Dome would come from blue and purple states such as California and Arizona. 'To be successful, this effort is going to require sustained funding and attention, beyond the next one or two election cycles.' Others have warned that U.S. adversaries may be threatened by Golden Dome and seek to build their own similar space systems or to develop weapons to get around the missile shield. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Wednesday said Beijing is 'seriously concerned' about Golden Dome and urged Washington to abandon the project. 'The United States, in pursuing a 'U.S.-first' policy, is obsessed with seeking absolute security for itself. This violates the principle that the security of all countries should not be compromised and undermines global strategic balance and stability. China is seriously concerned about this,' Mao Ning said at a press conference. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) brought up the issue with the U.S. military's top missile defense officials earlier this month, remarking that Russia and China have publicly expressed concerns about U.S. missile defense systems. 'You're going to spend billions of dollars of taxpayer money building things that could inspire the Russians to say, 'Oh, we need to take them out before they get used.' You better figure that out if you're going to spend a lot of taxpayer money on this,' he said during a House Armed Services Committee hearing. The system also is facing a potential hurdle with the current fight over government-controlled wireless frequencies. Included in the reconciliation bill is language that would allow the U.S. government to auction off federally controlled spectrum — electromagnetic radio waves — that the Pentagon uses for its radars, missile defense and secure communications. Selling off megahertz of spectrum to commercial telecommunications companies is projected to raise $88 billion to help fund Trump's intended tax and spending changes, according to Republicans, but it could impede Golden Dome. That's what Katie Arrington, the Pentagon's acting chief information officer, told lawmakers earlier this month, testifying that Golden Dome won't work if the Defense Department doesn't have control of the 3 gigahertz band of radio frequency spectrum, used for U.S. radar and missile defense systems. 'It is critical for national security,' Arrington said during a May 8 House Armed Services subcommittee hearing. 'The only way we can achieve Golden Dome right now is having the lower three of the spectrum.' Arrington said the military carries about 1,100 different platforms and weapons systems to protect national security on that spectrum. 'Those are prized, critical capabilities that we cannot lose,' she stressed. 'That area of the spectrum is golden, and we need to protect it to maintain national security.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hegseth denies China's claim that Golden Dome is ‘offensive': ‘Protecting the homeland'
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth denied China's claim the Golden Dome would turn space into a "war zone." "All we care about is protecting the homeland," Hegseth told Fox News Digital while departing from a trip to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. President Donald Trump has said for a long time defense of the homeland is critical to his "America First" policy, and the Golden Dome is a generational investment. Chinese Foreign Minister Mao Ning claimed this week the Golden Dome has a "strong offensive nature and violates the principle of peaceful use in the Outer Space Treaty." China Accuses Us Of 'Turning Space Into A Warzone' With Trump's Golden Dome Missile Defense Project "The project will heighten the risk of turning space into a war zone and creating a space arms race and shake the international security and arms control system," Mao said. "We urge the U.S. to give up developing and deploying global anti-missile system." Read On The Fox News App Trump, alongside Hegseth, released some details about the project earlier in the week, explaining there's an ambitious plan to complete the missile defense shield in three years for $125 billion. Hegseth also responded to pushback over his decision to kick off a monthly Christian prayer service at the Pentagon, which sparked a debate over religious freedom and the separation of church and state. "We've said it very publicly, and we've said it very proudly. Appealing to heaven, to God, is a longstanding tradition in our military," Hegseth said, adding that George Washington got on bended knee alongside his continental Army forces. "I appeal to Jesus Christ for that protection, to speak that word and be open and willing to talk about it at the Pentagon. If they want to criticize that, they're on the wrong side," he said. His remarks came after he addressed the 82nd Airborne Division of Army paratroopers during "All-American Week." There, he celebrated the name change of the North Carolina base from Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg. "It is Fort Bragg again," Hegseth said to cheers from the crowd. "Nothing wrong with Fort Liberty. Give me liberty or give me death. I love it," Hegseth said. "But give me Fort Bragg every day of the week." He also addressed critics who said he didn't have the strategic experience to serve as secretary of defense, and took a shot at the media. "Our friends in the fake news media are here," Hegseth said. "Some of them said, 'Critics might say you can't choose an Army major to be the secretary of defense. It has to be, well, one of our many distinguished generals or congressmen or business leaders or corporate leaders.' Trump, Hegseth Announce 'Golden Dome,' A 'Game Changer' To Protect American Homeland "One of the critiques was we need somebody that can think strategically, big picture. We can't have a guy who thinks like the troops, to which I say 'Hell, yeah, we can have a guy that thinks like the troops.'" He told a crowd of Army paratroopers, "I've been in that formation, loosening my knees, taking a deep breath, gazing over the horizon, sweating and wondering what time it is, but I can't move my arm. I've been in your boots — not yours. The 101st is not the 82nd. I'll admit that on a day like today. Not quite your boots or your beret, but close." Hegseth announced an increase in jump pay for paratroopers to more cheers from the crowd. Hazardous duty incentive pay, known as "jump pay" for Army troopers who jump out of airplanes, will increase from $150 a month to $200. Jump masters, the senior paratroopers who train and lead jump operations, will see their pay increase from $150 to $300. "Here's to our paratroopers, our jumpmasters, who do the difficult things in difficult places that most Americans can never imagine," Hegseth said. Since 2006, the Army has maintained 56,756 paid parachutist positions, according to Gen. Gregory Anderson, head of the 18th Airborne Corps. That number will decrease by 20,000, allowing for the increase in pay for those who do maintain their jump status. Limited aircraft ability and resources has meant a "degradation in proficiency," Anderson told reporters. "The goal has to be really good quality over quantity."Original article source: Hegseth denies China's claim that Golden Dome is 'offensive': 'Protecting the homeland'
