"President Donald Trump’s plan to put weapons in space - pitched as a “Golden Dome for America” missile defense program - is estimated to cost $1.2 trillion, according to a new analysis from the Congressional Budget Office, a far heftier sum than the initial $175 billion price tag he gave last year."
"The nonpartisan CBO report, published Tuesday, is described as an analysis that reflects “one illustrative approach rather than an estimate of a specific Administration proposal.” The futuristic system was ordered by Trump in an executive order during his first week in office. He said then that he expected the system to be “fully operational before the end of my term,” which wraps up in January 2029."
"“Over the past 40 years, rather than lessening, the threat from next-generation strategic weapons has become more intense and complex with the development by peer and near-peer adversaries of next-generation delivery systems,” Trump said in his executive order, justifying the need for the missile defense system. The concept for the missile system is at least partly inspired by Israel’s multitiered defenses, often collectively referred to as the “Iron Dome,” which played a key role in defending it from rocket and missile fire from Iran and allied militant groups."
"The U.S. Golden Dome is envisioned to include ground and space-based capabilities able to detect, intercept and stop missiles at all major stages of a potential attack. Congress has already approved roughly $24 billion for the missile defense initiative through Republicans’ massive tax and spending measure signed into law last summer. Last May, the president said the Golden Dome would cost $175 billion. The CBO last year estimated that just the space-based components of the Golden Dome could cost as much as $542 billion over the next 20 years."
A missile defense program called “Golden Dome for America” is estimated to cost $1.2 trillion, according to a Congressional Budget Office analysis. The analysis reflects one illustrative approach rather than a specific proposal estimate. The program was ordered by President Donald Trump in an executive order during his first week in office, with an expectation of full operation before January 2029. The system is intended to address increasingly complex next-generation strategic weapons from peer and near-peer adversaries. It is partly inspired by Israel’s multitiered “Iron Dome.” The envisioned capabilities include ground and space-based systems to detect, intercept, and stop missiles at major stages of an attack. Congress has approved about $24 billion so far, and earlier cost estimates ranged from $175 billion to $542 billion for space-based components over 20 years.
#space-based-missile-defense #strategic-weapons #congressional-budget-office #golden-dome #iron-dome
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