COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — U.S. Space Command announced on Wednesday that they have completed plans for President Donald Trump’s consideration. "Goldene Kuppel" missile defense system And has forwarded its suggestions to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for his examination and endorsement.
The advanced system was requested by Trump during his initial days as president, and if implemented successfully, this would be the first instance where the U.S. deploys weaponry in space designed to neutralize ground-launched missiles within mere seconds.
In his executive order issued in January, Trump instructed the military to deliver recommendations to him within 60 days about how an integrated system should be structured.
Recent advancements in hypersonic technology—especially China’s significant 2021 launch of a warhead that orbited the earth before reentry—have spurred the U.S. military to call for new methods to protect against missile attacks over the past few years.
It’s time for us to acknowledge openly that we require celestial conflagrations and armaments," stated General Stephen Whiting, who leads the U.S. Space Command, during his opening address at the yearly Space Symposium—an industrial conference taking place this week in Colorado. "These tools are classified as weaponry, essential not only to prevent a space war but also to ensure our victory should one occur.
Several alternatives have been created, reviewed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and presented to Hegseth, stated Colonel Matthew Wroten, who leads Space Command’s efforts on global warfighting requirements. However, he did not provide specifics about these options.
The Pentagon stated it would provide alternatives to President Trump consistent with his executive order.
The Space Command has not disclosed the anticipated cost of a space-based defense system; however, Wroten mentioned that the alternatives submitted to Hegseth included estimated expenses. Additionally, this week, Trump stated that his proposed defense budget for 2026 would be close to $1 trillion.
The program was formerly called Iron Dome but was redesignated by the Pentagon in February as Golden Dome.
Wroten mentioned that Space Command is currently advancing the process of defining precise specifications for Golden Dome. These specifications will serve as criteria to assess which capabilities and, notably for the defense companies at the space conference, which readily accessible commercial technologies the military intends to adopt to deploy an initial system within a short timeframe.
The administration has stated that the Golden Dome project will integrate current missile defense systems with new space-based technologies to create a multi-layered protection system.
In the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan suggested a comparable space-based defense system, however, the Strategic Defense Initiative, often referred to as "Star Wars," failed to materialize due to technological and financial hurdles.