Defense Officials Ready to Present Plans for Space-Age 'Golden Dome'—Could It Actually Become a Reality?

Then-President Ronald Reagan was widely mocked by Democrats in 1983 when he proposed a “Star Wars”-like weapons system (the Strategic Defense Initiative aka SDI) designed to protect the United States from attack. Many years later, some of the technology developed was incorporated into Israel’s famed “Iron Dome” defense systems—to great effect, as the weapons have been able to knock down countless missiles and projectiles lobbed into the Jewish state by its many enemies.

Donald Trump took notice, and he wants such a system for the entire United States—the “Golden Dome”—and defense officials are preparing to show the president preliminary plans after he ordered them to start designing.

There are many unanswered questions, but that may change soon:

Answers may come at least in part at the end of the month, when the Department of Defense and the Office of Management and Budget present a funding plan for the project to the White House. But defense industry leaders say the technology exists to make a Golden Dome a reality.
"In our view, it has to kind of be a layered system. Because, you know, shooting a UAV, for example, is very different than shooting a hypersonic vehicle or hypersonic weapon," Raytheon president Phil Jasper told Fox News Digital. His aerospace company, a major U.S. defense contractor, manufactures the Patriot missile system, Javelin anti-tank missiles and a variety of radar and air defense systems.
The U.S. already employs a layered missile defense system known as the Command, Control, Battle Management, and Communications (C2BMC) System that uses radar to detect incoming missiles and fire off interceptors.

Imagine a defense system that shields America from aerial threats, hypersonic missiles and drone swarms with unmatched speed and accuracy. Thanks to President @realDonaldTrump's vision, Golden Dome will make this a reality, securing our future. pic.twitter.com/vyXHzpbTw2
— Lockheed Martin (@LockheedMartin) March 19, 2025

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One key question: is the technology really there? Some tech experts say absolutely:

Forty years after President Ronald Reagan first conceived the idea, defense industry leaders say the technology is finally advanced enough to build an invisible protective dome of space-based radars, missile interceptors and laser weapons over the United States.
President Donald Trump, infatuated by the Iron Dome missile defense system over Israel, first ordered the Defense Department to begin drawing up plans for a U.S. version, the "Golden Dome," in January.

One key difference from the 1980s: launching satellites was enormously expensive back then, and SpaceX and its CEO Elon Musk weren’t around at the time. They are now, and as we just saw with the dramatic rescue of the stranded astronauts from the International Space Station, we’ve come a long way, baby.

The Department of Defense said they’ve been hard at work putting the plans together:

NEWS: DOD's Acquisition Community Already Working on Golden Dome, Big Team Effort Requiredhttps://t.co/lO2HxFE38z
— Department of Defense 🇺🇸 (@DeptofDefense) March 19, 2025

"Consistent with protecting the homeland and per President Trump's [executive order], we're working with the industrial base and [through] supply chain challenges associated with standing up the Golden Dome," said Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Steven J. Morani.

Could it work? Maybe, maybe not yet. But we’d be foolish not to investigate and push the boundaries of technology in a dangerous world. Reagan may have been ahead of his time, but his vision led to countless breakthroughs and innovations. Trump is right to push the envelope.

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