The US will first place weapons in space, Trump of signs

-Associated Press-

US President Donald Trump has unveiled the concept for the next air defense program: Golden Dome.

This multilayer anti-aircraft, worth $ 175 billion, means the US will place weapons in space for the first time.

Speaking on Tuesday from the Oval Office, Trump said he expects the system to « start work completely before the end of my mandate », which ends in 2029, and have the ability to stop the missiles « even if they are released from space ».

One US official said it is more likely that this complex system will have initial capacity by then.

Trump also announced that General Michael Guetlein, who currently serves as Deputy Chief of Spatial Operations, will be responsible for overseeing the progress of the Golden Dome.

The golden dome is projected to include capacities, from the ground and from spaces, which are able to detect and stop missiles in the four main stages of a possible attack: detection and destruction before release, stop at the earliest phase of flight, stopping during their air journey, or stopping in the last minutes during their fall.

How was Trump inspired for the golden dome

President Trump’s plan for the golden dome to protect the United States from long -range missiles was more or less inspired by Israel’s multi -layered system.

Israel’s anti -aircraft system, often known as the iron dome, has played a key role in defense from Iranian missiles and ballistic missiles and allied militant groups in the conflict launched by the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

The sophisticated system, developed for decades with significant US support, is able to detect missiles and activate only if the rocket is directed to a population or sensitive military or civil infrastructure center. Israeli leaders say the system is not 100 percent secure, but left it to the prevention of serious damage and numerous victims.

In recent months, Pentagon planners have developed options – which the US official described as medium, high and « extremely high » based on their costs – including anti -aircraft missiles in space. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, as these plans have not yet been made public.

The difference between the three versions lies mainly in the number of satellites and sensors – and for the first time, anti -aircraft missiles from space – to be purchased.

The Congress Budget Office this month estimated that only the components of the Golden Dome, placed in space, can cost up to $ 542 billion over the next 20 years. Trump has requested an initial $ 25 billion funding for the program on his tax reduction bill, which is going through Congress.

The Pentagon has warned for years that the newest missiles developed by China and Russia are so advanced that up -to -date protection measures are needed. Additional Golden Dome Satellites and Missiles – which make up most of the program cost – will focus on stopping advanced missiles in the early stages or during flight.

Spatial weapons provided for the Golden Dome « represent new and developing requirements for missions that have never been realized before by military spatial organizations, » said General Chance Saltzman, head of the US Spatial Force, before lawmakers at a hearing on Tuesday.

China and Russia have placed attack weapons in space, such as satellites with the ability to disable the important US satellites, making the US vulnerable to attacks.

Last year, the US said Russia was developing a nuclear weapon in space, which could stay in orbit for a long time and then release an explosion that would destroy the satellites around it.

Trump said on Tuesday that he has not yet spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the golden dome program, « but in due course, we will do it, » he told reporters in the White House.

In a joint statement earlier this month, China and Russia called the idea of ​​a golden dome « deeply destabilizing by nature », warning that it would turn « the outside space into an environment for armed confrontation and arena. »

There is still no money for the project and the golden dome in general is « still in the conceptual phase, » said the new Air Force Secretary, Troy Meink, during a hearing in the Senate on Tuesday.

While the President chose the concept he wanted, Pentagon is still developing the conditions that the golden dome will have to meet – which implies that this is not the usual way of developing new systems.

The Pentagon and the Northern US command are still drafting what is known as the initial capacity document, the US official said. This is how the northern command, which is responsible for the protection of the homeland, identifies what the system should do.

The US already has many missile protection capacities, such as missile batteries, the Patriot, the US has given Ukraine to protect against missiles, as well as a set of satellites in orbit to detect missile releases. Some of those existing systems will be included in the golden dome.

Trump ordered Pentagon to develop anti -aircraft missiles for space with an executive order during the first week of his presidency.