Fiscal monitor predicts Golden Dome’s cost at $1.2T, far exceeding the $185B projection

WASHINGTON — The Congressional Budget Office, an ​impartial entity, projected on Tuesday that the Golden⁣ Dome missile defense system, a brainchild of President Donald⁢ Trump, could potentially ‌cost ​around $1.2 trillion ⁣to develop, implement, and maintain over ​a span of 20 years.⁢ This estimate significantly overshadows the​ $185 billion figure previously proposed by the Pentagon’s director of the program.

The Golden Dome project aims to enhance ground-based⁤ defenses such as interceptor missiles, sensors, and command-and-control systems. Additionally, it plans to incorporate space-based elements designed to detect, track, and potentially neutralize incoming threats from orbit. ⁢These elements ​include advanced satellite networks and ⁢orbiting weapons.

The CBO estimated‍ that ⁣the acquisition costs alone for the system ⁢would amount to ‌just over $1 trillion. The space-based interceptor layer, comprising a constellation of 7,800 satellites, would account for approximately 70 percent of ⁣these acquisition costs.

The system is designed to provide ⁤coverage for the entire United States, ‌including Alaska and ‍Hawaii,⁣ and is expected to have the​ capacity‍ to ‌fully‍ engage an attack from a regional adversary such as North Korea.

However, the CBO cautioned that the system could be overwhelmed by ⁤a full-scale ⁤attack from ‍nations like Russia or China.

“The ⁣President’s so-called ‘Golden Dome’ is nothing more than a colossal ‍handout to defense contractors, funded entirely by‍ the⁣ hardworking American people,” ​commented Sen. Jeff​ Merkley, D-Ore., the ranking member of ⁣the ​Senate Budget Committee.

The Pentagon’s ⁢Golden Dome office did not provide a response⁣ to a⁢ request for comment.

The U.S. Space Force ⁢has awarded contracts worth⁤ up to $3.2 billion to 12 companies for the development of‍ space-based missile defense interceptor systems. Unlike existing ground-based systems, the Space-Based Interceptor‌ program deploys weapons in orbit, enabling the military ⁣to ⁤engage and destroy threats earlier in their flight path.

Ultimately, companies could secure lucrative interceptor production contracts worth $1.8⁤ billion to $3.4 billion annually, according to a ‍Pentagon presentation. However, the initial interceptor development costs ⁤are high, with industry players expected to self-fund what​ executives ⁣have estimated to ​be at least a $200 million ‌to $2 billion effort.

Major defense contractors, including Lockheed‌ Martin, Northrop​ Grumman, RTX, and Boeing, ⁤are ‌expected⁢ to compete for various components of the Golden ‌Dome.

An ‍executive order to establish the Golden Dome was signed ​on Jan. ​27, ​2025, setting an ambitious timetable ⁢to ⁣field⁤ a comprehensive homeland⁢ missile​ defense system by 2028.