Explained: Trump's 'Golden Dome' to protect US in 'a very dangerous world'

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (March 5) asked Congress to fund a "state-of-the-art golden dome missile defence shield" in order to protect the interests of America. "Israel and other places have it, and we should too. This is a very dangerous world. We are going to protect our citizens like never before," Trump said while addressing the joint session of the US Congress.

 

The initiative aims to shield US from a rapidly evolving array of aerial threats, including a range of ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles. Trump's latest announcement to the Congress is being seen as the official renaming of the US' flagship security initiative, initially launched as the "Iron Dome for America". Earlier, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had mentioned the word 'Golden Dome', instead of 'Iron Dome', which many assumed was a slip of tongue, as reported by Thomasnet.

 

 

What is 'Golden Dome for America'?

 

Initially launched on January 27, "Golden Dome for America" project (then Iron Dome for America) is a national missile defence programme that aims to secure US from a range of missile attacks. Addressing the Congress, Trump claimed that the 40th President of US, Ronald Reagan also wanted to build a similar system, but lacked the technology to do so. 

 

As fact checked by American media, Trump may have been referring to the Strategic Defense Initiative, announced in 1983, to protect against Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles by intercepting and shooting them down.

 

Inspired by Israel's Iron defence system, US' version is likely to operate on a larger scale by incorporating advanced technology, such as space-based sensors and interceptors. 

 

A missile defence system usually consists of multiple interconnected systems that are designed to detect, track, and intercept incoming ballistic weapons at various stages of flight.

 

How does it work?

 

A missile defence system consists of multiple satellites which help in detection of missiles and aerial threats with the help of ground based radars. Ground-based interceptors are also deployed at multiple locations, to help in determining the precise position of missile. 

 

With the help of advanced missiles deployed in land and ship based warships, target is located and attacked. US' THAAD system is also based on this principle. It uses hit-to-kill technology, by colliding defensive missiles head-on with incoming threats to destroy them.  Partnering with private sector  On March 3, SpaceNews reported that hundreds of industry executives had descended last month on Huntsville, Alabama, for a Missile Defense Agency briefing outlining Pentagon’s implementation plans for the executive order establishing the programme.  For the said project companies like Voyager plans to offer edge computing systems that it is developing in partnership with defence contractor Palantir, it reported. However, partnering with US government is also going to present certain challenges before these private companies as many companies may not be equipped to manufacture at the rate required for a national defense programme.  According to the report, the US administration has asked companies interested in the project to submit proposals to the Missile Defense Agency and the Space Force’s Space Development Agency by Feb 28. Trump administration has set an aggressive timeline, calling for technology demonstrations to begin in late 2026.