President Donald Trump's newly unveiled $175 billion "Golden Dome" missile defense program has drawn sharp criticism from Russia and China, who warn that the plan threatens to destabilize global security and trigger a new arms race in outer space.
The Golden Dome, described by the Trump administration as a multi-layered defense system, will incorporate space-based weapons for the first time in U.S. history. Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump declared that the system would be "fully operational before the end of my term," which concludes in January 2029. He emphasized the scale and ambition of the project, saying it would intercept missiles "even if they are launched from space."
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova denounced the initiative, stating during a press briefing on Tuesday: "The United States' Golden Dome project undermines the foundations of strategic stability." Her remarks, reported by state news agency TASS, called on Washington to halt the militarization of space.
Echoing that sentiment, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning warned: "This highly offensive system violates the principle of peaceful use of outer space. It will exacerbate the risk of turning outer space into a battlefield and starting an arms race, and shake the international security and arms control system."
Russia and China, both of which possess anti-satellite capabilities, view the Golden Dome as a provocative escalation. Their joint statement labeled the project "deeply destabilising in nature." The U.S., for its part, has previously accused both nations of developing offensive space technologies capable of disabling American satellites.
Golden Dome is designed to intercept ballistic threats from China and Russia using terrestrial and space-based platforms, covering all stages of a missile's flight-from pre-launch detection to final descent. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the space-based portion of the program alone could cost up to $542 billion over the next two decades.
General Chance Saltzman, chief of the U.S. Space Force, told lawmakers that the Golden Dome would "represent new and emerging requirements for missions that have never before been accomplished by military space organizations."
U.S. defense officials argue the system is a necessary response to the rapidly advancing missile programs of adversaries. They contend that China and Russia are developing hypersonic and stealth technologies that can bypass current American defenses, requiring a next-generation deterrent.
