Golden Dome missile defense plan surprises Congress with $125 billion price tag

Before President Donald Trump dramatic reveal the “Golden Dome” missile project on Tuesday, the proposal was not even on the radar of many legislators in Capitol Hill.

Several members of the Fox News Digital have told that they had not received any briefing on the initiative’s costs – while others have not heard of them at all.

Senator John Kennedy, R. La, said.

“What is the golden dome?” He asked two of the senior members of the sub -committee to defend the credits in the Senate, one of the Republicans and Democrats, “What is the golden dome?” In response to questions about the project that cost Trump in January.

China accuses us of “turning an area into an incoming area” with the Golden Defense Project, Trump

Trump’s sweeping plan – which was developed as an American version of the Israeli Iron Dome – carries an ambitious price and schedule. He has offered an estimated cost of $ 125 billion, and says it can be built within three years, by the end of his term. A government financing package that moves across congress, which is called a single beautiful bill, includes $ 25 billion to start the project.

But defense experts and even some Republican allies expect the cost to be much higher.

“This will not be a project worth $ 25 billion or $ 35 billion. It is possible that it will cost that cost in trillion if the golden dome is complete,” said Senator Tim Shihi, R. Mont, who announced plans to form a golden dome during a modern event in the defense industry earlier this month.

Sheei warned that just expanding the Israeli Iron Dome to protect the United States is a “fundamental technology proposal.”

He added: “The challenges do not expand in line with the size of Israel, which is the size of New Jersey.”

The CBO budget office (CBO) estimated that the project may cost about $ 500 billion – although some believe that this number is very likely.

CBO estimated that the space -based intersection part of the dome may cost at least $ 161 billion, but up to $ 542 billion. But he did not explain any ground objections at this cost.

“34 years have passed in this work, and I have never seen an early estimate that was very high,” said Fores Soltsman’s spacecraft head of the Fores Soltsman. “We do not always understand the full level of complexity until it is actually implemented, and we do detailed planning.”

Laser, space radars, missile objections: Defense leaders put a vision of the Trump “Golden Dome” project

The Digitized Golden Dome concept design shows how space -based shield will use the missile to stop the missile. (Lockheed Martin)

Some Republican lawmakers suggest that possible benefits outweigh the massive spending required.

“The war may prevent,” said Senator Mike Rlonds, RN.D. “When we talk about the spending of billions on defense, this is small compared to one major war – not only in trillion dollars, but in bloodshed.”

Once a missile was fired towards the American homeland, the golden dome system aims to discover, and the tropics systems will aim to hit the missile during the “reinforcement” stage, either using a laser or motor objection. Otherwise, the ground systems can be spread to stop them.

Others noticed the competing defense priorities.

“This will be a long process, and a lot of money will cost her,” said Senator Tommy Tobreville, RA. “At the present time, we are returning our missile silos … We move on to different types of war. If we will do [Golden Dome]We do this in the right way. ”

Supporters of the plan argue that technological developments have significantly reduced the cost of missile defense, sufficiently to overturn the strategic assumptions of contracts.

Chuck Davor, a defense expert at the Texas Foundation for Public Policy and former Reagan Administration official, said that the old logic – is always the cheapest building offensive missiles of defenses – no longer applied.

Golden Dome aims to protect opponents’ missiles, such as this North Korean test above. (KCNA via Reuters)

“This account is now changing,” Davor said. “With low -cost orbit launches and inexpensive electronics, in fact it may actually be less expensive to defend nuclear missiles rather than build them. If this is the case, we are at a truly revolutionary turning point.”

Davor also warned that the traditions of the Defense Foundation may rise.

“You will see people defending the current situation,” he said. “They will say that we need this money for more traditional defense – more sections, more aircraft fighters, and perhaps another plane carrier.”

However, Davor has argued that the internal missile defense system was late.

“The ability to defend the homeland and save American spirits is better than mutual mutual destruction – especially in the era of nuclear spread where we cannot always make sure where the threat comes from.”

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Senator Marcin Molin, Raukla, agreed to the importance of the project, and even said that he had not been informed of the cost and needs of the project.

“I think it’s the most important thing we can do to keep our homeland safe.”