Published: 4:47am, 21 May 2025Updated: 4:53am, 21 May 2025
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he had selected a design for the US$175 billion Golden Dome missile defence shield and named a Space Force general to lead the effort to build the ambitious defence programme aimed at blocking threats from China and Russia.
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Trump announced at a White House press conference that US Space Force General Michael Guetlein would be the lead programme manager for what the president said would be a US$175 billion project, an effort widely viewed as the keystone to Trump’s military planning.
Golden Dome will “protect our homeland”, Trump said from the Oval Office and added that Canada had said it wanted to be part of it.
First ordered by Trump in January, Golden Dome aims to create a network of satellites to detect, track and potentially intercept incoming missiles. The shield could deploy hundreds of satellites for missile detection and tracking.
At a cost of US$175 billion, it will take years to implement, as the controversial programme faces both political scrutiny and funding uncertainty.
Democratic lawmakers have voiced concern about the procurement process and the involvement of Trump ally Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which has emerged as a front runner alongside Palantir and Anduril to build key components of the system.