Trump’s $175B “Golden Dome” Missile Defense Plan Revealed

The Trump administration has rolled out fresh details of its ambitious $175 billion “Golden Dome” missile defense project — a multi-layer shield aimed at protecting the U.S. from aerial threats, hypersonic missiles, and even drone swarms, Reuters reports.

In a presentation titled “Go Fast, Think Big!” delivered to some 3,000 defense contractors in Huntsville, Alabama, last week, officials outlined plans for three layers of missile interceptors, radar arrays, and high-energy lasers, backed by space-based defenses.

A standout detail: the proposed construction of a new large-scale missile field in the U.S. Midwest, in addition to the two existing sites in southern California and Alaska. Lockheed Martin is slated to lead the build, describing Golden Dome as “a defense system that shields America… with unmatched speed and accuracy.”

Trump has pitched the project as America’s answer to Israel’s Iron Dome — only bigger.

“Thanks to President Trump’s vision, Golden Dome will make this a reality, securing our future,” Lockheed posted back in March.

The plan even envisions intercepting missiles in space — but the U.S. has never developed a reentry-capable vehicle able to survive atmospheric heat while still targeting an enemy missile. That’s one of several technical challenges ahead.

So far, Congress has approved $25 billion for the program in Trump’s tax and spending bill passed in July, with another $45.3 billion requested in his 2026 budget. A U.S. official told Reuters:

“They have a lot of money, but they don’t have a target of what it costs yet.”

Trump has floated offsetting the funding gap by getting Canada to contribute $61 billion — or, as he joked earlier this year, “become the 51st state.”

The project, which also drew bids from SpaceX, Palantir, and Anduril, is part of Trump’s long-promised pledge to “build a missile defense shield around our country.” He signed the order to launch Golden Dome just days after taking office in January 2025, framing it as a cornerstone of national security.