The US Congressional Budget Office (CBO) announced on 12/5 that the Golden Dome shield is projected to cost about 1.2 trillion USD to develop, staff, and operate over 20 years. This figure is more than two times higher than the CBO's estimate released during the same period last year.

According to the CBO, system procurement costs alone account for over 1 trillion USD, with about 70% allocated to the space-based interception layer involving 7,800 satellites. The Golden Dome shield will cover the entire US territory, including Alaska and Hawaii, capable of countering attacks from regional adversaries like North Korea.

A poster of the Golden Dome shield displayed at the White House in 5/2025. Photo: AFP

However, the CBO warns the system still risks being overwhelmed if it faces a full-scale attack from peer powers like Russia and China.

"The national missile defense (NMD) system is assessed to have superior capabilities compared to all defensive weapons currently deployed by the US. However, it is not an impenetrable shield or capable of countering a large-scale attack that Russia and China could launch," the CBO stated.

NMD is the term the CBO uses to refer to the Golden Dome shield.

The Pentagon's office responsible for the Golden Dome program declined to comment on the assessment.

In January, President Trump signed an executive order to develop an air defense system named "America's Iron Dome" to protect the entire territory from modern enemy missiles. US officials later renamed the complex the Golden Dome, seemingly to distinguish it from Israel's Iron Dome system.

The Golden Dome project will expand ground-based defensive assets like interceptor missiles, sensors, and command systems, adding space-based components tasked with detecting, tracking, and shooting down threats in orbit.

Michael Guetlein, director of the Golden Dome program, stated in March that the program's "target structure" cost had increased by 10 billion USD, reaching 185 billion USD. However, US military news outlet War Zone noted this estimate likely only accounts for a portion of the Golden Dome's structure.

A THAAD launcher deployed by the US in the Middle East in 2023. Photo: US Army

The Pentagon stated that in the long term, companies could secure contracts worth 1.8-3.4 billion USD annually. However, initial development costs are very high, and companies are expected to self-fund 200 million to two billion USD.

Leading US defense industry companies such as Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, and RTX are likely to compete for contracts to manufacture components for the Golden Dome.

"President Trump's so-called 'Golden Dome' is nothing more than a giant gift to defense corporations, while American workers will bear the entire cost," said Senator Jeff Merkley, a Democrat and senior member of the US Senate Budget Committee.

Pham Giang (According to Reuters, War Zone)