Trump, while speaking from the Oval Office, said that the US had finalised the system's architecture, which will be overseen by Vice Chief of Space Operations General Michael Guetlein
Trump claimed the defence shield would integrate seamlessly with existing capabilities and be completed before the end of his second term
"This design for the Golden Dome will integrate with our existing defence capabilities and should be fully operational before the end of my term. So we'll have it done in about three years," Trump said
"Once fully constructed, Golden Dome will be capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from other sides of the world and even if they are launched from space, and we will have the best system ever built," he added
Trump also noted that Canada has shown interest in joining the initiative and expressed openness to collaboration
During the announcement, Trump was joined by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and GOP Senators Dan Sullivan, Jim Banks, and Kevin Cramer. They were flanked by posters showing a golden shield over the US and a quote, "This is a Very Dangerous World"
As per The Hill, the Golden Dome, initially announced in January, will receive a preliminary USD 25 billion allocation under a GOP-backed reconciliation bill. However, funding remains uncertain amid resistance from both conservative and moderate Republicans who are pushing for changes to the legislation
Though Trump claimed the total cost would be USD 175 billion, the Congressional Budget Office has estimated that, due to its technological complexity, the full system could exceed USD 500 billion over the next two decades
The system is expected to counter intercontinental threats from nations like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea
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