A Dome of Gold or a Dream Deferred? In May 2025, former U.S. President Donald Trump re-emerged onto the global stage with a dramatic announcement: the launch of the "Golden Dome," an audacious $175 billion missile defense project.

President Donald Trump picked a design for his Golden Dome missile defense system and named a leader of the ambitious $175 billion defense program. The program, first ordered by Trump in January, aims to create a network of satellites, perhaps numbering in the hundreds, to detect, track and potentially intercept incoming missiles.