What Is the Golden Dome Actually Providing? 

The Senate Armed Services Committee’s Strategic Forces Subcommittee held a hearing on Sept. 29 discussing President Donald Trump’s ambitious plan for American missile defense called the Golden Dome. 

Senators and witnesses attempted to flesh out the administration’s vision for the Golden Dome and whether partisanship is preventing action that could keep America safe from its enemies.  

The Golden Dome is a major defense initiative proposed by the Trump administration that aims to protect the United States from a range of missile threats through state-of-the-art missile interceptor technology. While the program could require billions if not trillions of dollars in federal spending and has the potential to shape U.S. defense strategy for years to come, critical details about the initiative remain unclear to the legislative branch. 

The hearing was held to receive an update on the Golden Dome project, with Senators questioning experts about the defense system’s design, capabilities, and projected costs. 

A central question for lawmakers who will have to appropriate the funds for the project is whether the system is designed to cover the entire American homeland or if it is designed to cover major cities, critical industries, and government installations. 

Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said “the implication of the term ‘Golden Dome’ is a national coverage, and I think all of you will agree that that’s not in the cards.” 

“So,” he asked, “who is being protected?”  

The experts in the hearing acknowledged that a missile defense ‘dome’ covering the whole United States is unrealistic and that Golden Dome’s architects will have to make strategic decisions about missile installations. Furthermore, the experts asserted that no missile defense system can provide perfect coverage. 
 
While Republicans also had questions about the scale and scope of the Golden Dome, Republicans suggested that partisanship from Democrats is delaying the project. 

One of the witnesses, David Trachtenberg, senior scholar at the National Institute for Public Policy, told the committee that, “Russia and China have been modernizing their own nuclear systems,” which makes initiatives like Golden Dome more urgent for policymakers in Washington. 
 
Other countries are modernizing their missile defenses, they have the power to do more as well, and threats to America are growing substantially, Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D. warned, adding, “We need to get back to a bipartisan approach to this as soon as possible.” 
 

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