Trump $25 billion for Golden Dome

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to unveil his preferred vision for the upcoming “Golden Dome” missile defense initiative on Tuesday. While it won’t be the priciest of the options presented by the Pentagon, the plan still carries a hefty price tag—tens of billions of dollars—and would take years to fully implement.

If brought to fruition, the Golden Dome project would represent the United States’ first deployment of space-based weaponry, capable of shooting down enemy missiles mid-flight.

Trump is also set to appoint Gen. Michael Guetlein, the current deputy chief of space operations, to oversee the program’s development and execution.

The Golden Dome system is being designed with both ground-based and orbital elements, aiming to intercept threats during any of the four main phases of a missile’s trajectory: before launch, during the initial boost phase, while in midcourse flight, and in the final moments before impact.

Over the past several months, Pentagon officials have been crafting multiple versions of the project—categorized by cost into medium, high, and “extra high” tiers. Each version includes space-based interceptors.

According to a U.S. official who requested anonymity, the administration has selected the "high" option, with projected initial costs ranging from $30 billion to $100 billion.

The primary differences between the proposed versions center around the quantity of satellites, sensors, and—for the first time—interceptors placed in orbit.