Donald Trump announced on Tuesday (20th) details about the implementation of the Golden Dome missile defense system, a criticized initiative that, according to Trump, will cost the equivalent of R$ 1 trillion and will be operational by the end of his presidential term in January 2029, if approved by Congress. Both the value and the timeline are seen as unrealistic, considering current projections about the system - which is also viewed as doubtful in terms of effectiveness in defending the United States from more serious ballistic threats. "The next defense budget will have $25 billion (R$ 141 billion) next year" for the program, Trump said, repeating a number that needs to be approved by Congress when analyzing the budget for the next fiscal year, which begins in October in the US. This is an enormous amount exceeding the entire annual military spending of Brazil, which, if actually released, would make the winners of the bidding process happy, with Elon Musk, a strong ally of the president, being a strong contender. Musk's role in the project is questioned by Democratic opposition in Congress, which has opened an investigation. His company SpaceX, a leader in the orbital launch vehicle sector, is one of the main competitors in the bidding process. One of the richest people in the world, Musk spent almost $300 million (R$ 1.7 billion today) to help elect Trump. With the Republican in the White House, he became a key figure leading the process of radical spending cuts and was accused of directing public policies to his private interests. There are other questions. The US Congress has prepared a study predicting that the Golden Dome will cost $500 billion (R$ 2.8 trillion) over 20 years of implementation. It is unclear what Trump means by having it operational in four years, a task given to a US Space Force general, Michael Guetlein. There was no detail about the program itself. Trump was flanked by two crude printed boards with 1980s-style images of the US under missile attack. One of them attributed to him the phrase "This is a very dangerous world" - which Trump repeated in the announcement, saying that the Golden Dome will help the country to protect itself "in a very bad world." He said he had not discussed the topic with Russian President Vladimir Putin the previous day. Moscow is the owner of the largest nuclear arsenal in the world, compatible with the US and used justly with ballistic missiles, although the Pentagon is concerned about China's growing capabilities in the sector. THE PROJECT IS TRUMP'S OBSESSION Trump is obsessed with the topic, having promised in his 2024 election campaign that he would implement the so-called American Iron Dome, a reference to the Israeli system. Faithful to his taste for showiness and exaggeration, the president gave the Golden Dome a golden finish. "Our system is better," he said. The similarities with the famous Israeli dome stop at the name. In the Israeli case, the system is of low altitude, aiming to take down threats such as drones and short-range missiles that are proliferating in the Middle East post-October 7. Israel's medium-altitude defense is handled by the David's Sling launchers, while high-altitude threats are handled by the Arrow system. None of them aim to do what the Golden Dome is supposed to do, which is to intercept intercontinental missiles. The current US defense system is almost decorative, with only 44 interceptors for a territory 450 times larger than Israel's and low reliability. In this sense, and with the proliferation of hypersonic technology even among non-state actors, such as the Houthis in Yemen, Trump's concern is valid. However, since Ronald Reagan suggested the Star Wars program with the euphemism Strategic Defense Initiative in 1983, scientists know it is difficult to deter an attack with dozens or hundreds of missiles. Technology, of course, has evolved, and that's what Trump is selling. He used the announcement to say that Canada, a country with whom the US has been at odds, is interested in being covered by the presumed defense of the Golden Dome. The nation is already fully integrated into the current North American aerospace defense system, NORAD. However, analysts are skeptical. This said, whether it's worth it or not, the bet annoys Russians and Chinese. Even with Trump's approach to Vladimir Putin about Ukraine, Russia has already expressed opposition to the project. In the 2000s, Moscow worked against the installation of a simpler ballistic missile defense system, Aegis Ashore, which was eventually installed in Poland and Romania to supposedly protect against threats from Iran. Now, Moscow says that the Golden Dome envisions an unwanted militarization of space, with the installation of armed interceptors with lasers and kinetic ammunition. Trump confirmed that the version of the project he wants to develop will have these capabilities. The Outer Space Treaty of 1967 does not prohibit this, and only prohibits the placement of nuclear weapons outside the Earth's atmosphere - something that the Biden administration accused Putin of developing, which Moscow denied.
https://jornaldebrasilia.com.br/noticias/mundo/trump-quer-r-140-bi-para-lancar-sistema-antimissil-domo-dourado-2/