The grandiose American “Star Wars” project and the militarization of space are behind his bulimia for . The American president claimed a few days ago that the acquisition of the world’s largest island by the is vital to the creation of the (Golden Dome), a new system that is in the works and aims to make the US immune to any missile attack through the .
From Reagan to Trump
The Golden Dome is the modern version of the Strategic Defense Initiative program announced by President Ronald Reagan in 1983 to neutralize the missile arsenal of the then Soviet Union with a system of satellites and lasers, which referred to the science fiction film Star Wars. At the time, the idea was considered far-fetched, with some analysts even calling it a bluff aimed at terrorizing the USSR, driving it into a new arms race, and draining it economically.
From the first week of his return to the White House last January, Trump ordered it to begin to be ready by the end of his term in 2029. In May, the president outlined a $175 billion plan to protect the US “from Russian and Chinese threats” while naming US Space Force General Michael Guetlein to lead it. “Reagan wanted it many years ago, but they didn’t have the technology back then,” Trump said. He had spoken since 2019 about the importance of the Vault, describing it as an important “defensive as well as offensive” tool.
How the Golden Dome will work
The program calls for the creation of a network of hundreds of low-orbit satellites that will detect and intercept enemy missiles long before they reach the US, even before they are launched. Many of the satellites will have purely reconnaissance roles while others will be armed with missiles or even lasers. America’s Golden Dome is quite different from Israel’s Iron Dome, which intercepts incoming ground-launched missiles.
The high cost of construction and maintenance
According to a congressional report, the cost of the Golden Dome could exceed $830 billion over twenty years. In addition to building the network, high maintenance/replacement costs are expected for the hundreds of satellites due to the additional wear and tear caused by low orbit, at the edge of the atmosphere. Lawmakers from the Democratic Party have expressed concerns about the cost but also about the procurement process involving companies such as SpaceX of presidential friend and political ally Elon Musk and Palantir, while parts of the project are also claimed by Lokheed Martin, L3Harris Technologies and RTX Corp, as reported by Reuters. “The new autonomous defense system of the space age is more about Silicon Valley than traditional (big metal) defense industries. Everyone can take part in the competition and claim something,” said Republican Senator Kevin Cramer.
Militarization of space
If implemented, the program will mark the militarization of space as the US, for the first time in history, will have weapons in Earth orbit ready for use. It is noted that the relevant international treaty of 1967 on outer space expressly prohibits weapons of mass destruction, but not military activity or conventional weapons in space. American officials estimate that in this way they could detect and destroy in time hypersonic missiles, multiple warhead ballistic missiles and whatever other advanced weapons systems the Russians possess. With this trump card in hand, Washington could hold all its adversaries hostage, even those with nuclear weapons, as long as they do not have the same or similar shield of protection. Consequently a new, great arms race in space will open.
Greenland and Golden Dome
It is not known exactly what Greenland’s role will be in the Golden Dome, beyond its obvious strategic location in the Arctic, and why the Americans require “ownership” of the island in order for the shield to be effective. The US has an early warning base on the island (its personnel had been reduced after the end of the Cold War) and could expand it, and even create new bases within the existing agreement with Denmark. The Golden Dome was epigraphically mentioned yesterday in Davos by the American Secretary of Finance Scott Bessent, urging everyone to “take a deep breath, not to announce retaliation” but to wait for President Trump who will go to the Swiss resort today.
