US president says Canada expressed interest in joining program
US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he has selected the "architecture" for his long-promised "Golden Dome" missile defense program, which he estimated will cost $175 billion during the next three years to create.
"The golden dome will integrate with our existing defense capabilities and should be fully operational before the end of my term, so we will have it done in about three years," he said. "Once fully constructed, the Golden Dome will be capable of intercepting missiles, even if they are launched from other sides of the world, and even if they are launched from space, and we will have the best system ever built."
The program will see an initial investment of $25 billion that will be included in the sweeping "big, beautiful" spending and tax cut bill that Trump is seeking to shepherd through Congress despite complex opposition from within his own ranks.
The exact details on the program remain sparse, but Trump said it will "deploy next generation technologies across the land, sea and space, including space-based sensors and interceptors." The president tapped Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein to oversee the program's development.
Asked if military commanders have asked for the to be created, Trump said he "suggested it, and they all said, 'We love the idea, sir.'"
It is unclear if the "Golden Dome" will be designed to cover the entire nation or will instead be focused on protecting major population hubs or other areas of strategic value, but Trump said Canada has expressed an interest in joining the program.
"Canada wants to be a part of it, which would be fairly small expansion, but we'll work with them on pricing. We're dealing with them on pricing. They know about it very much. They've asked to be a part of it, actually. They've asked us to be a part of it. I think it's something that is great. If they can afford to do it, we can afford to do it," he said.
Asked if he has addressed Russia's ventures into space-based nuclear weapons during his conversations with President Vladimir Putin, Trump said he had not yet discussed the matter.
"We haven't discussed it, but at the right time, we will," he said.
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