President Trump made a major announcement on Tuesday regarding U.S. national defense, revealing the construction of a “Golden Dome” missile defense system. In an address from the Oval Office, Trump outlined the plans for the system’s construction and the projected timeline for its completion.
“In the campaign I promised the American people that I would build a cutting-edge missile defense shield to protect our homeland from the threat of foreign missile attack and that’s what we’re doing,” Trump said. “Today I am pleased to announce that we have officially selected an architecture for a state of the art system that will deploy next generation technologies across the land, sea, and space, including space-based sensors and interceptors.”
Trump said the system would be the best ever built and praised the highly advanced technology involved in its development. He also indicated that other North American countries would benefit from the development and implementation of this form of missile defense.
“Canada has called us and they want to be a part of it,” Trump said. “So we’ll be talking to them. They want to have protection also. So, as usual, we help Canada the best we can.”
Trump said the new system would complement existing defense technologies, which he plans to complete during his presidency.
“This design for the Golden Dome will integrate with our existing defense capabilities and should be fully operational before the end of my term, so we’ll have it done in about three years,” Trump said. “Once fully constructed, the Golden Dome will be capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from other sides of the world and even if they are launched from space.”
Trump also cited the effectiveness of the Iron Dome in Israel, which was completed with support from the U.S.
Trump went on to highlight the project’s historical implications, citing President Reagan’s vision for a comprehensive missile defense shield in the U.S.
“We will truly be completing the job that President Reagan started 40 years ago, forever ending the missile threat to the American homeland, and the success rate is very close to 100 percent, which is incredible,” Trump said.