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Trump's 'Golden Dome' will cost $1.2tn and might not stop all-out missile attack

May 13, 2026

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that President Trump's proposed "Golden Dome" missile defense system would cost approximately $1. 2 trillion over twenty years to develop, deploy, and maintain—a dramatic increase from the initially proposed $175 billion budget. The ambitious system aims to protect the United States from advanced ballistic and cruise missile threats using next-generation technology deployed across land, sea, and space.

Who is affected

  • American taxpayers/working Americans (who will fund the system)
  • Defense contractors, specifically SpaceX and Lockheed Martin (receiving development contracts)
  • The U.S. military and Department of Defense (tasked with implementation)
  • President Donald Trump and his administration (proposing and overseeing the program)
  • Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley (critic requesting the cost estimate)
  • Potentially the American public (if threatened by aerial attacks from adversaries like Russia and China)

What action is being taken

  • The Congressional Budget Office is providing cost estimates for the Golden Dome system
  • SpaceX and Lockheed Martin are developing space-based missile interceptor prototypes under contracts worth up to $3.2 billion
  • The defense department is working on submitting plans for the system (as ordered by Trump)

Why it matters

  • This matters because the projected $1.2 trillion cost represents a massive public expenditure—nearly seven times higher than initially proposed—for a defense system that may not effectively protect against sophisticated attacks from major adversaries. The enormous financial commitment to defense contractors comes at the expense of taxpayers, raising questions about fiscal priorities and the viability of the technology. Additionally, the system's potential inability to counter full-scale attacks from Russia or China undermines its core purpose of protecting the United States from catastrophic aerial threats.

What's next

  • The defense department is expected to submit plans for the system (as ordered by Trump in an executive order)
  • SpaceX and Lockheed Martin will continue developing space-based missile interceptor prototypes under their awarded contracts

Read full article from source: BBC