Trump rolls out Golden Dome missile defense project and appoints leader

Gen Michael Guetlein of space force will be in charge of defense system that could exceed $540bn over 20 years

• US politics live – latest updates

Hugo Lowell in Washington

Tue 20 May 2025 23.44 BST

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Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that his administration will move forward with developing the so-called “Golden Dome” missile defense system that he envisions will protect the United States from possible foreign strikes using ground and space-based weapons.

Flanked by the US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, in the Oval Office, Trump also said that he wanted the project to be operational before he left office. He added that Republicans had agreed to allocate $25bn in initial funding and Canada had expressed an interest in taking part.

“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,” Trump said, “forever ending the missile threat to the American homeland.”

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What exactly Golden Dome will look like remains unclear. Trump has not yet decided which of three options proposed by the defense department that he wants to pursue. Pentagon officials recently drafted three proposals – small to medium to large – for Trump to consider.

The proposals all broadly combine ground-based missile interceptors currently used by the US military with more ambitious and hi-tech systems to build a space-based defense program.

But the option that Trump chooses will determine its timeline and cost. The $25bn coming from the Republicans’ budget bill is only set to cover initial development costs. The final price tag could exceed $540bn over the next two decades, according to the congressional budget office.

Trump said on Tuesday evening that he had settled on “architecture” for the project and suggested the total cost of putting it into service would reach $175bn, but gave no specifics. US space force Gen Michael Guetlein will oversee implementation of the project, Trump said.

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Gen Michael A. Guetlein testifies before a Senate committee in Washington in March. Photograph: Aaron Schwartz/Newscom/Alamy

The selection of Guetlein, the vice-chief of space operations at the space force, to oversee the project means the elevation of a four-star general widely seen at the Pentagon to be competent and deeply experienced in missile defense systems and procurement.

The project is expected to end up largely as a partnership with major defense contractors, including Elon Musk’s SpaceX, given it has the capacity to manufacture rockets to launch military payloads into orbit and satellites that can deliver next generation surveillance and targeting tools.

It will also rely on companies that manufacture ordnance currently used by the US military. The project’s baseline capabilities are set to depend on existing systems, including the THAAD and Aegis Ashore systems made by Lockheed Martin and Patriot surface-to-air missiles made by Raytheon.