After weeks of insisting on the importance of Greenland, the president of the United States detailed for the first time, on Wednesday (14), the reasons for his interest in the territory. For him, the autonomous island under Danish rule is strategic for the construction of the “Golden Dome”, a broad US missile defense system.
The “Golden Dome” is conceived as a protective network capable of detecting, tracking and, if necessary, intercepting missiles at different phases of an attack: before launch, during their journey and in the final moments, just before impact.
Inspired by Israel’s “Iron Dome”, the American project would be much larger, due to the country’s geography and the extension of its borders.
The plan foresees four layers of defense, with 11 short-range batteries distributed across the continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii. One layer would be space-based, based on satellites for warning and tracking, and the other three would be terrestrial, made up of interceptors, radars and, potentially, lasers.
Deadline and costs
The schedule released by the Trump administration is ambitious: the goal is to have the system ready by 2028. The initial idea was to complete it by the end of the current term, in January 2029, but, according to the British newspaper The Guardianuntil then it will only be possible to carry out demonstrations.
In about 18 months, the Pentagon hopes to have the basic infrastructure to track hundreds of missiles on an attack route, without yet being fully capable of neutralizing them.
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The estimated cost is US$175 billion (around R$1 trillion). So far, Congress has allocated $25 billion to the project in the tax and spending bill passed in July, and another $45.3 billion is included in the president’s 2026 budget request.
Why is Greenland strategic?
Greenland enters this equation mainly due to its location. The territory is between the United States and Russia, and the shortest air route between the two countries passes through the region. With a more robust presence on the island, the US would gain expanded access to the Arctic, an area in which it currently has a limited presence.
Geography would make it possible to install batteries of interceptors and radars aimed especially at a possible Russian threat, in addition to monitoring maritime routes that are increasingly relevant with the melting of polar ice. In these passages, Washington could closely monitor Chinese and Russian vessels.
Greenland is also home to large reserves of oil, gas, critical minerals and rare earths — strategic inputs for energy and technology.
The US already maintains a military base on the island, but its presence is modest compared to the Cold War era, when around 10,000 American soldiers served there; Today, the contingent is no more than 200.
Reaction
Since the announcement of the “Golden Dome” in May 2025, several powers have reacted negatively.
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In a joint statement, the presidents of Russia, Vladimir Putin, and China, Xi Jinping, classified the project as “deeply destabilizing”. Moscow reinforced the criticism through a spokeswoman, who described the shield as an expression of an “extremely dangerous doctrine of preemptive strikes” by the US. North Korea stated that the initiative fuels a nuclear and space race.
More recently, European countries have expressed specific concern about Trump’s plans for Greenland: amid fears of possible American intervention on the island, Germany, France, Sweden and Norway announced the sending of military personnel for terrain reconnaissance and exercises in the Arctic region.
Conversely, Canada and Japan signaled interest in investing in the system.
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Similar structures
The idea of a mega anti-missile system is not exclusive to the USA. Israel operates the “Iron Dome,” which for years was seen as nearly infallible, until it was overcome in part by Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023.
Since the 1990s, Russia has maintained the A-135 system, focused on protecting Moscow, in addition to around 56 S-400 batteries, capable of intercepting aircraft, drones and missiles at up to 400 km. China developed the HQ-19, aimed at hypersonic threats.
India, Taiwan, Japan, Iran, France, the United Kingdom and Italy also invest in defense structures capable of detecting and intercepting missiles.
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*With information from Reuters and Agência O Globo.
