The true cost of President Donald Trump’s proposed Golden Dome missile defense system has been revealed — and it’s more than the entire Defense Department spent last year.
The space-based system would cost roughly $1.2 trillion to develop, deploy and operate for two decades, according to a new report from the Congressional Budget Office, a non-partisan federal research agency. That’s more than six times the $175 billion price tag the president provided last May.
The latest estimate includes the cost of personnel compensation, research and development, maintenance, upgrades as well as space-based interceptors — which would constitute the most expensive items. The CBO noted that its projection is based on limited information, since the administration has yet to specify the exact type or scale of the anti-missile systems it plans to roll out.
The 79-year-old president first unveiled his plans for the futuristic technology in an executive order signed on January 27, 2025 — one week after his inauguration.
“The United States will provide for the common defense of its citizens and the Nation by deploying and maintaining a next-generation missile defense shield” capable of fending off against “any foreign aerial attack on the Homeland,” he wrote in the order.
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Trump said the system, which will include ground and air components, is slated to be “fully operational” by the time his term ends in January 2029. He also indicated that it could also be used to protect other nations and territories, including Canada and Greenland.
The technology appears to be inspired by Ronald Reagan’s failed Strategic Defense Initiative, which was derisively dubbed the “Star Wars” program, as well as Israel’s Iron Dome, a network of interceptors designed to disable incoming enemy rockets.
The Independent has reached out to the White House for comment.
Lawmakers approved about $24 billion for the initiative through the “Big Beautiful Bill,” the GOP-backed spending measure that was passed last summer, according to The Associated Press.
But, in February, Politico reported that the ambitious project had barely gotten off the ground. This was due, in part, to the fact that the White House had held back billions in congressionally approved funds.
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Industry insiders also expressed reluctance to pour their own money into the Golden Dome since many fear the massive undertaking may not outlast the current administration, given the complexity and unproven nature of the technology.
“I don’t think anyone in industry is banking on [space-based interceptors] surviving into the next admin,” an industry representative told the outlet.
Still, the Pentagon said in a statement at the time that the project “continues to meet the goals” outlined by the president’s executive order, noting that the plan’s implementation is “dynamic.”
Beyond the funds already approved by Congress, additional money could soon be directed to the project. Last month, the administration requested a $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget for 2027 — the largest in history — which includes funding for Golden Dome technology.
By comparison, Trump requested a $892.6 billion national defense budget last year. A subsequent $150 billion supplemental request brought the total above $1 trillion for the first time, according to Reuters.
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