President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the U.S. will soon begin construction of a “Golden Dome” missile defense system they say will be a next-generation “game changer” protecting the American homeland from outside adversaries.
A similar system, the Iron Dome, has already been developed in Israel with U.S. assistance and has proven effective in repelling missile attacks. Now. Trump says a bigger, more technologically advanced, multi-layered dome system will soon be installed in America.
The president announced the “one big beautiful” budget bill being discussed in Congress will include $25 billion in initial funding for the project, which he expects will cost $175 billion overall. He said he expects a major phase of the dome will be complete in under three years and that it will be “fully operational before the end of my term.”
He noted there is significant support for the project in Congress, quipping, “It’s amazing how easy this one is to fund.”
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President Donald Trump announced his proposal for a “Golden Dome” missile defense system in the United States May 20, 2025. (Reuters/Leah Millis/File Photo; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“In the campaign, I promised the American people that I would build a cutting-edge missile defense shield to protect our homeland from the threat of foreign missile attack. And that’s what we’re doing today,” he said, adding that the Golden Dome “will be capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from the other side of the world and even if they are launched from space.”
Trump also announced he is placing Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein in charge of the project, saying, “No one is more qualified for this job.”
Hegseth called the Golden Dome a “bold initiative” and another addition to Trump’s “long and growing list of promises made and promises kept.”
He said investing in the new system is essential to respond to growing threats from countries like Russia and China.
“Ultimately, this right here, the Golden Dome for America, is a game changer,” said Hegseth. “It’s a generational investment in the security of America and Americans.”
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and a missile interceptor (Reuters )
Addressing Trump, Hegseth said, “Mr. President, you said we’re going to secure our southern border and get 100% operational control after the previous administration allowed an invasion of people into our country. President Reagan 40 years ago cast the vision for it. The technology wasn’t there. Now it is, 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.”
Guetlein indicated the Golden Dome is necessary to preserve the safety, security and the quality of life Americans are used to.
“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,” said Guetlein.
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Gen. Michael Guetlein, vice chief of space operations, United States Space Force (Space Force)
The general said “our adversaries have become very capable and very intent on holding the homeland at risk.”
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“While we have been focused on keeping the peace overseas, our adversaries have been quickly modernizing their nuclear forces, building up ballistic missiles capable of hosting multiple warheads, building out hypersonic missiles capable of attacking the United States within an hour and traveling at 6,000 miles an hour, building cruise missiles that can navigate around our radar and our defenses, building submarines that can sneak up on our shores and, worse yet, building space weapons,” Guetlein said.
“It is time that we change that equation and start doubling down on the protection of the homeland.”
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