In February 2025, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency officially renamed the program 'Golden Dome,' possibly due to trademark issues with 'Iron Dome,' adding to the political and financial controversy.

The U.S. is developing a missile defense program called 'Golden Dome,' aiming to protect the entire country from long-range missile attacks, with a projected cost of $175 billion by 2029, funded by Congress.

Critics describe the 'Golden Dome' as a boondoggle with flimsy origins, exaggerated claims, and questionable technical feasibility, casting doubt on its future.

The program is based on an unrealistic comparison to Israel's Iron Dome, which defends against short- and medium-range threats, but is not suitable for the larger, more complex threats faced by the U.S. from Russia and China.

The rapidly evolving missile threats, including maneuverability, evasion tactics, and decoys, pose significant challenges to the effectiveness of current and proposed missile defense systems.

Even with an 80% success rate in intercepting nuclear missiles, the technical and physical challenges mean the U.S. could still face devastating consequences from missile attacks.

The project echoes Reagan’s SDI 'Star Wars' program, which faced similar challenges and was scaled down to focus on more feasible, cost-effective systems targeting shorter-range threats.

Initially promoted as 'Iron Dome for America' inspired by Israel's system, the project was championed by Donald Trump during his campaign.

Trump claimed the system would cost about $175 billion and be operational in less than three years, but these claims are unrealistic since the technology isn't developed, funding isn't secured, and the timeline is overly optimistic.

Lessons from past missile defense efforts emphasize effectiveness, survivability, and cost-efficiency, but critics argue that the current approach overlooks these principles, risking wasteful spending.

There are concerns that the defense system could encourage nuclear escalation by emboldening adversaries to believe they can use nuclear weapons without fear of retaliation.

Adversaries are also investing in alternative threats like cheap drones and swarms, which could bypass or overwhelm the Golden Dome system, reducing its effectiveness.