[Video] Trump Selects Design for $175 Billion Golden Dome Missile Shield, to Be Operational Before End of His Term
President Donald Trump announced in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on May 20, 2025, that an architecture had been officially selected for the Golden Dome missile defense system, at a total cost of about $175 billion, with an initial $25 billion to be included in the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' then before Congress, and that the system should be fully operational before the end of his term. Trump also appointed Gen. Michael Guetlein, the Space Force's vice chief of space operations, as the direct reporting program manager for the effort.
Trump said the system will deploy next-generation technologies across land, sea and space, including space-based sensors and interceptors, and will integrate with existing defense capabilities. "Once fully constructed, the 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," he said. Hypersonic, ballistic and advanced cruise missiles "will be knocked out of the air," he said, putting the success rate at "very close to 100 percent," and said the project completes the job President Ronald Reagan started 40 years ago, when the technology did not exist.
Trump described Guetlein as a four-star general and recipient of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, with an unmatched background in missile warning technology and defense procurement. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Senators Dan Sullivan, Kevin Cramer and Jim Banks attended the announcement. Hegseth called the Golden Dome a "game-changer" and a "generational investment in the security of America and Americans." Trump also said Canada had called and wants to be part of the program, that the two sides would talk, and that Canada would pay its fair share.
The Golden Dome stems from an executive order Trump signed on January 27, 2025, in his first week back in office, directing the construction of a next-generation missile defense shield. Cost estimates differ: the Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the space-based interceptor portion alone could cost as much as about $542 billion over 20 years, far above the White House's total figure, and the program's final cost and schedule depend on congressional appropriations. The White House released the full video of the announcement. (Source: The White House)
Source: The White House
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：2025年5月20日，特朗普总统在白宫椭圆形办公室宣布「金穹」导弹防御系统方案，身旁立着系统示意图，国防部长 Hegseth 与两名参议员站在右侧。白宫官方照片，Joyce N. Boghosian 摄，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: President Trump announces the Golden Dome missile defense system in the Oval Office on May 20, 2025, beside a rendering of the system, with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and two senators at right. Official White House photo by Joyce N. Boghosian, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
