Trump's 'Golden Dome' defense plan faces major challenges

More from the article ...

... Four months after Trump initially ordered the Pentagon to develop options for the system, however, little in the way of further details has emerged.

"The main challenges will be cost, the defense industrial base, and political will. They can all be overcome, but it will take focus and prioritization," said Melanie Marlowe, a nonresident senior associate in the Missile Defense Project at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"The White House and Congress are going to have to agree on how much to spend and where the money will come from," Marlowe said, noting that "our defense industrial base has atrophied," though "we have begun to revive it."

She also cited the need for more progress on sensors, interceptors and other components of the project.

Trump on Tuesday announced an initial $25 billion in funding for Golden Dome, saying its eventual cost would be about $175 billion.

That figure is likely far lower than the actual price of such a system. ...

Yeah, there's all that.

But, if I may also be so bold to add ...

The depiction of the Golden Dome that Pres Trump uses (as seen in the article) seems to not include Alaska or Hawaii.

What's up with that? Does Pres Trump not think that Alaska and Hawaii are a part of the United Stated?

Another view ...

From Star Wars to Golden Dome: Trump Pushes US Missile Shield Despite Funding and Technology Hurdles
www.military.com

... Sitting in the Oval Office on Tuesday alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a four-star Space Force general and several lawmakers, President Donald Trump made it clear: He's setting out to finish what former President Ronald Reagan started.

Reagan's 1980s-era proposal for a space-based defense shield against nuclear missiles, dubbed "Star Wars," fizzled. Now, decades later, Trump has announced a proposal he calls "Golden Dome," envisioned as a state-of-the-art missile defense system covering the U.S. that could shoot down ballistic, hypersonic and nuclear missiles -- even drones -- from land and outer space.

Trump said during the White House gathering this week that his Golden Dome would take only three years to complete, be "very close to 100%" effective, and cost only $175 billion. The promises face skepticism from experts and would require big military trade-offs, including possible troop reductions in the Army.

"We will truly be completing the job that President Reagan started 40 years ago, forever ending the missile threat to the American homeland," Trump said this week.

However, defense policy experts who spoke to Military.com aren't so sure.

They said that, while the immediate fate of the nationwide shield is tied to short-term funding working through Congress, it may ultimately require a long-term commitment of more defense dollars or strategic trade-offs, such as cutting the size of the Army to deliver the ambitious vision being pitched to the American people. ...

@#4

OK, my first question, why is Pres trump suddenly seeming to associate himself with fmr Pres Regan?

Is he realizing his apparent weakness in this area and is trying to paint himself as a Reagan-accolade?

@#6 ... A point to ponder ...

I do not disagree.

But I also ask, why does Pres Trump seem to give up Alaska and Hawaii?

@#12

Holy friggin' pasture pastries.

From the link in #12 ...

... Because in a quirk of geography and history, Hawaii is not technically covered by the NATO pact.

If a foreign power attacked Hawaii -- say the US Navy's base at Pearl Harbor or the headquarters of the Indo-Pacific Command northwest of Honolulu -- the members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization would not be obligated to rise to the Aloha State's defense.

"It's the weirdest thing," says David Santoro, president of the Pacific Forum think tank in Honolulu, who added that even most Hawaii residents have no idea their state is technically adrift of the alliance. ...

OK, I asked my search engine of choice about this ...

Found this ...

Hawaii Isn't Covered by NATO Defense Pact? (May 2024)
www.snopes.com

... The state falls just outside the borders of treaty, internet users said. ...

Claim:
The U.S. state of Hawaii is not covered by the NATO defense pact.

Rating:
True

Context
While Hawaii is technically excluded from the North Atlantic Treat Organization because it is not located around the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean or north of the Tropic of Cancer, it is likely that NATO member countries would still rise to defend the U.S. should an attack occur on Hawaii.
...

Holy meadow muffins, Batman.