Trump's proposed 'Golden Dome' estimated to cost $1.2 trillion
NPR • • nation
Key Points:
- The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that President Trump's proposed "Golden Dome for America" missile defense system could cost $1.2 trillion over 20 years, significantly higher than the initial $175 billion estimate given by Trump.
- The CBO report highlights uncertainty in long-term costs due to a lack of detailed information from the Defense Department about the specific systems and quantities to be deployed.
- The Golden Dome system aims to combine ground- and space-based technologies to detect and intercept missiles at various stages, inspired in part by Israel's Iron Dome defense system.
- Congress has already allocated approximately $24 billion for the missile defense initiative, but some lawmakers, including Sen. Jeff Merkley, criticize the project as an excessive expenditure benefiting defense contractors.
- U.S. Space Force Gen. Michael A. Guetlein emphasized efforts to focus on affordability, disputing estimates that multiply legacy system costs to project high figures for Golden Dome.