Trump expected to announce ‘Golden Dome’ space missile defenses that will cost billions

By TARA COPP Associated Press WASHINGTON AP President Donald Trump is expected to announce on Tuesday the concept he wants for his future Golden Dome missile defense venture and while it would not be the most of expensive option that the Pentagon had offered it would still cost taxpayers tens of billions of dollars and take years to make a reality If realized the system would mark the first time that the U S would put weapons in space which could be fired to destroy an incoming missile during flight Trump also is expected to announce that Gen Michael Guetlein who now serves as the vice chief of space operations will be responsible for overseeing Golden Dome s progress Golden Dome is envisioned to include ground and space-based capabilities that are able to detect and stop missiles at all four major stages of a prospective attack detecting and destroying them before a launch intercepting them in their earliest stage of flight stopping them midcourse in the air or halting them in the final minutes as they descend toward a target Related Articles More tornadoes and fewer meteorologists make for a dangerous mix that s worrying US officers Elon Musk says he will cut back on political spending after heavily backing Trump in New Trump vaccine agenda limits access to COVID shots Trump comes to the Capitol to try to persuade a divided GOP to unify around his big tax cuts bill Jeanette Vizguerra held by ICE in Aurora named a winner of Robert F Kennedy human rights award For the last several months Pentagon planners have been advancing options which a U S official described as medium high and extra high choices based on their cost that include space-based interceptors The administration picked the high version with an initial cost ranging between billion and billion according to the official who spoke on condition of anonymity to detail plans that have not been made general The difference in the three versions is largely based on how various satellites and sensors in space would be purchased and for the first time space-based interceptors The White House and the Pentagon didn t instantly respond to requests for seeking comment The Congressional Budget Office estimated this month that just the space-based components of the Golden Dome could cost as much as billion over the next years Trump has requested an initial billion for the plan in his proposed tax break bill now moving through Congress The Pentagon has warned for years that the newest missiles developed by China and Russia are so advanced that updated countermeasures are necessary Golden Dome s added satellites and interceptors where the bulk of the operation s cost is would be focused on stopping those advanced missiles early on or in the middle of their flight The space-based weapons envisioned for Golden Dome represent new and emerging requirements for missions that have never before been accomplished by military space organizations Gen Chance Saltzman head of the U S Space Force informed lawmakers at a hearing Tuesday China and Russia have put offensive weapons in space such as satellites with abilities to disable critical U S satellites which can make the U S vulnerable to attack But there s no money for the project yet and the undertaking overall is still in the conceptual stage newly proven Air Force Secretary Troy Meink described senators Tuesday While the president picked the concept he desired the Pentagon is still evolving the requirements that Golden Dome will need to meet which is not the way new systems are normally developed The Pentagon and U S Northern Command are still drafting what is known as an initial capabilities document the U S official stated That is how Northern Command which is responsible for homeland defense identifies what it will need the system to do The U S already has plenty of missile defense capabilities such as the Patriot missile batteries that the U S has provided to Ukraine to defend against incoming missiles as well as an array of satellites in orbit to detect missile launches Several of those existing systems will be incorporated into Golden Dome Trump directed the Pentagon to pursue the space-based interceptors in an executive order during the first week of his presidency