US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he had selected a design for the $175-billion Golden Dome missile defense shield and named a Space Force general to head the ambitious program aimed at blocking threats from China and Russia.
Trump told a White House press conference that US Space Force General Michael Guetlein would be the lead program manager for an effort widely viewed as the keystone to Trump's military planning.
Golden Dome will “protect our homeland,” the US President said, adding that Canada had said it wanted to be part of it.
In a statement, the office of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he and his ministers were discussing a new security and economic relationship with their American counterparts.
“These discussions naturally include strengthening NORAD and related initiatives such as the Golden Dome,” it added, according to Reuters.
The Golden Dome, 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.
Democratic lawmakers have voiced concern about the procurement process and involvement of Trump ally Elon Musk's SpaceX, which has emerged as a frontrunner alongside Palantir and Anduril to build key components of the system.
The Golden Dome idea was inspired by Israel's land-based Iron Dome defense shield that protects it from missiles and rockets.
Trump's Golden Dome is much more extensive, including a massive array of surveillance satellites and a separate fleet of attacking satellites that would shoot down offensive missiles soon after lift-off.
Tuesday's announcement kicks off the Pentagon's effort to test and ultimately buy the missiles, systems, sensors and satellites that will constitute Golden Dome.
Trump said the defense shield should be operational by the end of his term in January 2029 and that Alaska would be a big part of the program, while Florida, Georgia and Indiana would also benefit.
