Trump's Golden Dome plan could launch new era of weapons in space
U.S. President Donald Trump's Golden Dome missile defense concept revives a controversial, decades-old initiative whose ambitious construction could upend norms in outer space and reshape relations between the world's top space powers.
The announcement of Golden Dome, a vast network of satellites and weapons in Earth's orbit set to cost $175 billion, could sharply escalate the militarization of space, a trend that has intensified over the last decade, space analysts say.
While the world's biggest space powers - the U.S., Russia and China - have put military and intelligence assets in orbit since the 1960s, they have done so mostly in secrecy.
Under former President Joe Biden, U.S. Space Force officials had grown vocal about a need for greater offensive space capabilities due to space-based threats from Russia and China.
When Trump announced his Golden Dome plan in January, it was a clear shift in strategy, one that emphasizes a bold move into space with expensive, untested technology that could be a financial boon to U.S. defense contractors.
The concept includes space-based missiles that would launch from satellites in orbit to intercept conventional and nuclear missiles launched from Earth.
"I think it's opening a Pandora's box," said Victoria Samson, director of space security and stability at the Secure World Foundation think tank in Washington, referring to deploying missiles in space. "We haven't truly thought about the long-term consequences for doing so," she added.
Samson and other experts said Golden Dome could provoke other states to place similar systems in space or to develop more advanced weapons to evade the missile shield, escalating an arms race in space.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Russia and China reacted differently to the latest news from Trump. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said it was "seriously concerned" about the project and urged Washington to abandon its development, adding that it carried "strong offensive implications" and heightened the risks of the militarization of outer space and an arms race.
A Kremlin spokesperson said Golden Dome could force talks between Moscow and Washington about nuclear arms control in the foreseeable future.
Primarily seeking to defend against a growing arsenal of conventional and nuclear missiles from U.S. adversaries Russia, China and smaller states such as North Korea and Iran, the Golden Dome plan is a revival of a Cold War-era effort by former U.S. President Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), better known as the "Star Wars" program.
SDI envisioned stationing a constellation of missiles and powerful laser weapons in low-Earth orbit that could intercept a ballistic nuclear missile launched anywhere on Earth below, either in its boost phase moments after launch or in its blazing-fast cruise phase in space.
But the idea never came to fruition mainly because of technological hurdles, as well as the high cost and concerns it would violate an anti-ballistic missile treaty that has since been abandoned.
'WE'RE READY'
Golden Dome has strong and powerful allies in the defense contracting community and the growing defense technology arena, many of whom have been preparing for Trump's big move into space weaponry.
"We knew that this day was likely going to come. You know, we're ready for it," L3Harris Chief Financial Officer Ken Bedingfield said in an interview with Reuters last month.
"L3 Harris has an early start of building the sensor network that will become the foundational sensor network for the Golden Dome architecture."
Trump ally Elon Musk's rocket and satellite company SpaceX has emerged as a frontrunner alongside software firm Palantir and drone maker Anduril to build key components of the system, Reuters reported last month.
Many of the early systems are expected to come from existing production lines. Attendees at the White House press conference with Trump on Tuesday named L3Harris, Lockheed Martin and RTX Corp as potential contractors for the massive project.
But Golden Dome's funding remains uncertain. Republican lawmakers have proposed a $25 billion initial investment for it as part of a broader $150 billion defense package, but this funding is tied to a contentious reconciliation bill that faces significant hurdles in Congress.
(Reporting by Joey Roulette; Additional reporting by Mike Stone; Editing by Jamie Freed)
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Middle East Eye
2 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
The Iranian people will never forgive or forget US-Israeli attacks
The pernicious deception led by the US charlatan-in-chief, President Donald Trump, culminated this weekend in a massive attack on the heels of unprovoked Israeli warmongering in Iran. Israel's aggression against Iran's industrial infrastructure, along with its military and scientific leadership, has also killed hundreds of civilians - a trademark of the vicious Israeli army, on the model of what it has done in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen. With the US directly entering the conflict on Saturday night with a stealth operation to bomb Iran's nuclear sites in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, this warmongering is now on steroids. The resolve of Iranians to defend their homeland will not leave a single stone unturned. Complicit Arab countries with active American military bases on their soil could face severe consequences for this attack on yet another sovereign nation in the region. 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No one could blame Iran if it now opts to go fully nuclear to defend itself against this monstrosity unleashed on the lives and livelihoods of an entire region. The vintage Washington cliche, that this attack has strengthened the ruling elite in Iran, is flawed. The attack has rendered the government irrelevant. Iranian people are now in charge of their homeland - and Israel will never see the end of this. Whatever the ruling Islamic Republic does to defend itself has nothing to do with the will and determination of the Iranian people. Iran's people will never forget or forgive any foreign power for invading their homeland, destroying its infrastructure, and slaughtering innocent civilians. The Iranian people will come after Israel not with bombs or missiles, but with their long memories, steely determination, and utter contempt for its murderous military machinery. They will also come after the treacherous Pahlavi family and the new breed of native informers popping up in the US to demean their homeland and cheer for Israel. Legend has it that when Alexander the Great invaded Iran more than two millennia ago, and the Persian patriot Ariobarzanes of Persis mounted a valiant attempt to defend his homeland, a treacherous shepherd helped Alexander outflank the Persian army, very much on the model of the Greek Ephialtes betraying his own people in the Battle of Thermopylae. We do not know the name of that treacherous shepherd, but we do know the names of the native informers cheering for Israel today - and we will hold them accountable. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.
Sharjah 24
2 hours ago
- Sharjah 24
Iran vows retaliation after US strikes on nuclear sites
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UAE Moments
3 hours ago
- UAE Moments
UAE Confirms No Nuclear or Safety Impact From US-Iran Strike
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