WASHINGTON, Jan 27 (Reuters) – A year after it was launched, U.S. President Donald Trump’s Golden Dome missile defense initiative has made little visible progress, amid technical disputes and concerns about space components that have delayed the release of billions of dollars.
The decree that established the Golden Dome program, signed on January 27, 2025, defined an ambitious timeline to deploy the anti-missile defense system by 2028.
A year later, however, the program has still not spent much of the US$25 billion allocated last summer (June to September period in the northern hemisphere), while authorities continue to debate fundamental elements of its space architecture.
According to two US officials, work to finalize the architecture of the missile shield is still ongoing, and the release of large-scale funds has not yet begun. Resources are available, officials said, and significant amounts could be released in the coming days as crucial decisions are made.
“The Golden Dome office continues to meet the goals set out in the order,” a Pentagon official said in response to Reuters questions.
‘The implementation plan and associated technologies are dynamic; however, the fundamental elements of the architecture are already established. Architectural details are confidential.’
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DEBATE ABOUT WEAPONS IN SPACE
The Golden Dome project envisions expanding existing ground-based defenses such as interceptor missiles, sensors, and command and control systems, while also adding experimental elements in space aimed at detecting, tracking, and potentially neutralizing threats from orbit. This would include advanced satellite networks and orbital weaponry.
One of the causes of the delay has been the internal debate over space equipment, one of the officials said. A defense industry executive, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the systems under discussion likely involve communication standards.
Another executive said they could be anti-satellite capabilities, raising questions about how such weapons would integrate with a defensive missile shield.
Historically, the US has opposed anti-satellite weapons due to concerns about space debris, criticizing China in 2007 for carrying out an anti-satellite missile test.
Space architecture remains one of the issues that need to be decided before Gen. Michael Guetlein, the program director, can proceed with what is expected to be a series of weapons procurement contracts, a U.S. official and industry executives said.
SMALL VALUE CONTRACTS
In November, the Space Force awarded small-value Golden Dome contracts to build competing prototype missile defense systems. This included contracts with Northrop Grumman, True Anomaly, Lockheed Martin and Anduril, sources previously told Reuters.
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Valued at around US$120,000 each, the contracts represent the first tangible steps in a program that, according to Trump, could cost US$175 billion.
Since December, there has been at least one confidential briefing for defense companies about the project’s architecture, U.S. officials said.
Tom Karako, an arms security expert at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said much of the past year was consumed by security reviews, personnel decisions and approval of complex plans.
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He said the Golden Dome project is unlikely to be fully completed until 2028.
‘There is a lot that can be done over the next three years in terms of better integration than we already have, but there is no doubt that there will be things that will be implemented and evolve after 2028.’
Another unresolved question regarding the Golden Dome is the role that Greenland might play.
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Trump recently linked American control of Danish territory to the missile defense initiative, repeatedly stating that the acquisition of Greenland is “vital” to the project.
Defense experts note, however, that existing agreements already allow for the expansion of US military operations on the island. A US official has stated that Greenland is not part of the proposed architecture for the Golden Dome.
(Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington)
