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yesterday

US appoints Space Force general to lead $175 billion Golden Dome missile shield

General Michael Guetlein is overseeing the planning phase of the proposed missile shield as North Korea, China and Russia decry its threat to space stability.

U.S. President Donald Trump makes an announcement regarding the Golden Dome missile defense shield next to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in the Oval Office of the White House. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in Washington.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office at the White House on May 20, 2025 in Washington, DC.
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Overview

  • The Golden Dome would blend ground-based radars with a constellation of space-borne sensors and interceptors to neutralize ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles.
  • Trump administration projects the system will cost $175 billion and reach operational capability by the end of President Trump’s second term in 2029.
  • Space Force General Michael Guetlein has been tapped by the Pentagon to direct the program’s planning and early development.
  • A Congressional Budget Office report estimates space-based components alone could cost between $161 billion and $542 billion over 20 years, raising fiscal scrutiny.
  • North Korea branded the initiative an “outer space nuclear war scenario,” and both China and Russia warned it undermines strategic stability and risks a space arms race.