President Trump appoints Space Force General Michael Guetlein to lead $175 billion Golden Dome project

President Donald Trump’s Golden Dome missile defense program has a new leader, Space Force General Michael Guetlein. The mission is an initiative to create a comprehensive shield against advanced missile threats targeting the United States, according to Space News. The Oval Office briefing on May 20, 2025, included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Guetlein and Republican Senators Jim Banks (Ind.), Kevin Cramer (N.D.), and Dan Sullivan (Alaska). The announcement revealed approval of an “architecture” for the Golden Dome by the administration.

The estimated cost of the project is $175 billion and it will be completed in three years, before the end of President Trump’s tenure. “We will truly be completing the job that President Reagan started 40 years ago, forever ending the missile threat to the American homeland,” Trump declared, referring to Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative, known as “Star Wars.” The Golden Dome program will be a combination of space-based sensors, ground-based interceptors, and advanced command-and-control networks to detect, track, and destroy incoming missiles before reaching U.S targets.

“I was really looking forward to this day, because this is very important for the success and even survival of our country,” Trump said, as per Air and Space Forces Magazine. “It’s an evil world out there, so this is something that goes a long way towards the survival of this great country,” he added. Guetlein will be part of a council to oversee the needs of joint acquisition programs, and they previously ran the acquisition arm of Space Force — Space Systems Command. Developing the technology will be a task in the proposed timeline if funds are approved by Congress.

This missile network will protect the country from a list of things that range from drones to hypersonic weapons and ballistic missiles. The authorities felt that the present defense system of the nation was too limited and not advanced enough to eliminate these threats. Space Force and defense officials stated that Golden Dome will be a “system of systems” instead of one massive project. The most challenging of these systems would be the space-based missile interceptors. This technology did not exist, and researchers would have to develop it from scratch.

Trump was sitting next to a poster that showed the continental U.S. in gold, along with artistic depictions of missile interceptions in the announcement meeting. Pentagon planners were developing various options for the project based on varied cost requirements, as per the Associated Press. Trump requested $25 billion for the program as an initial investment in his proposed tax bill being reviewed by Congress. This new system is also a visible answer to the new and advanced missile technology of China and Russia, which could render the U.S incapable.

The Golden Dome is still in its conceptual stage as the Pentagon and U.S. Northern Command are drafting the initial capabilities document. Though the president picked the concept he desired, the Pentagon was in the process of developing the Golden Dome’s objectives. Trump had said that he was yet to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the Golden Dome program, “but at the right time, we will.” China and Russia had previously referred to the Golden Dome idea as “deeply destabilizing in nature,” as it could turn space into an arena for war.