Story perspectives

Trump Announces $1.2T Golden Dome Defense; Critics Protest

5/17/2026

Summary

Story summary

President Donald Trump announced the Golden Dome missile-defense program with a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate of $1.2 trillion over 20 years.
The CBO estimated the interceptor layer would cost $723 billion, 70 % of acquisition costs.
Senator Jeff Merkley, who requested the analysis, called the program a giveaway to contractors.
Retired Gen. John E. Hyten warned that, despite a $15 billion-per-year request, the project will miss its target without authority for Gen. Mike Guetlein.

History

Historical Context

President Ronald Reagan announced the Strategic Defense Initiative in 1983, dubbing it a space-based shield against Soviet ICBMs. Critics such as Senator Ted Kennedy and the American Physical Society warned in 1986 that the laser and particle-beam concepts were decades away, prompting budget cuts. The program ended in 1993, with observation elements revived under the Space Development Agency in 2019.

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Story summary

President Donald Trump announced the Golden Dome missile-defense program with a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate of $1.2 trillion over 20 years.
The CBO estimated the interceptor layer would cost $723 billion, 70 % of acquisition costs.
Senator Jeff Merkley, who requested the analysis, called the program a giveaway to contractors.
Retired Gen. John E. Hyten warned that, despite a $15 billion-per-year request, the project will miss its target without authority for Gen. Mike Guetlein.

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