The “golden dome” concept is partly inspired by Israel’s multilayered air-defense systems, often referred to as the Iron Dome, which have intercepted rockets and missiles fired from Iran and allied militant groups. But Israel’s system is designed to protect a comparatively small geographic area and only shorter-range threats. The American version is intended to defend the entire continental United States, as well as Alaska and Hawaii, against long-range ballistic and hypersonic missiles.
“Over the past 40 years, rather than lessening, the threat from next-generation strategic weapons has become more intense and complex,” Trump said in the order, citing advances by Russia, China, and other adversaries in hypersonic and ballistic missile systems.
The President said at the time that he wanted the system operational before the end of his term in January 2029, an aggressive timeline for a project that would require massive technological advances and a vast expansion of American missile-defense infrastructure.