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May 22nd, 2025 | 6:29 PM ET

The Challenges – and Opportunites – of a ‘Golden Dome’ Defense System

President Trump’s plan has plenty of supporters and skeptics - and some who are a bit of both

DEEP DIVE
The Israeli military fires Iron Dome missiles to intercept dozens of rockets launched from Lebanon at the northern port city of Haifa, in Israel, on October 8, 2024. (Photo by Mati Milstein/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Posted: May 22nd, 2025

By The Cipher Brief

DEEP DIVE – Donald Trump vowed Tuesday to finish building a “Golden Dome” defense shield before the end of his term that would protect the nation from incoming missiles and other threats. The president put the price tag at $175 billion; experts say the costs will probably exceed half a trillion dollars, and some doubt that the project can be completed before Trump leaves office. $25 billion for the initiative has been included in the budget bill that is currently awaiting approval by Congress. 

President Trump issued an executive order on January 27 that tasked the Pentagon with building a “next-generation missile defense shield” to counter what the order called the “most catastrophic threat facing the United States” – hypersonic weapons and other advanced aerial systems.

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