(The Lion) — President Donald Trump unveiled plans on Tuesday for a missile defense system to protect the U.S. from overseas, sea- and space-based missile attacks.

The announcement helped fulfill a Trump-Vance campaign promise to bolster national security by creating a “Golden Dome” missile defense technology.

Trump described the initiative as a realization of President Ronald Reagan’s vision from four decades prior, then called “Star Wars” or SDI, now made possible by advances in technology.

“We will truly be completing the job that President Reagan started 40 years ago, forever ending the missile threat to the American homeland,” said Trump from the Oval Office. “And the success rate is very close to 100%, which is incredible when you think of it. You’re shooting bullets out of the air.”

The new missile defense shield will be designed to integrate next-generation technologies across land, sea and space, and will have space-based sensors and interceptors.

Trump highlighted the system’s capability to intercept various missile types, “including hypersonic missiles, ballistic missiles, and advanced cruise missiles, all of them will be knocked out of the air.”

He noted that the U.S. possessed “super technology” unmatched by other nations, making the total defense of North America the best-in-class.

The president said the project “should be fully operational before the end of my term,” with an initial funding allocation of $25 billion included in the latest budget bill, and a total projected cost of $175 billion.

Trump said he appointed General Mike Guetlein, a four-star Space Force general and recipient of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, to lead the missile defense project.

Guetlein’s expertise in missile warning technology and defense procurement was praised, with Trump and others in attendance expressing confidence in his ability to oversee the unprecedented project.

Trump also acknowledged the contributions of the Space Force, a branch Trump created during his first term.

“Space Force has turned out to be a tremendous success” said Trump about the creation of the newest armed forces branch. “We were third in space, and now we’re number one in space by a lot. It’s not even close.”

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth described the Golden Dome as a “game-changer” and a generational investment in American security.

“President Reagan, 40 years ago, cast the vision for it; the technology wasn’t there,” Hegseth told Trump. “Now it is, and you’re following through to say we will protect the homeland from cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles, drones, whether they’re conventional or nuclear.”

Hegseth credited Trump’s foresight in recognizing the need for such a defense amid growing global tensions with the president’s creation of the Space Force.

Guetlein elaborated on the urgency of the project, citing adversaries’ advancements in nuclear forces, hypersonic missiles and space-based weapons.

“While we have been focused on the peace overseas, our adversaries have been quickly modernizing their nuclear forces, building out ballistic missiles capable of hosting multiple warheads, building out hypersonic missiles capable of attacking the United States within an hour and traveling at 6,000 miles an hour, building cruise missiles that can navigate around our radar and our defenses, and building submarines that can sneak up on our shores, and worse yet, building space weapons,” he said.

Sens. Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, and Jim Banks of Ohio, who attended the announcement, also voiced strong support for the initiative.

Trump addressed questions from reporters, clarifying that the U.S. currently lacks a cohesive missile defense system, relying instead on scattered systems.

The president was asked if he consulted with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the missile defense system and Russia’s deployment of space-based missiles.

“We haven’t discussed it, but at the right time, we will,” he said.

When asked if Congress would support the funding, Trump noted that it seemed to have near-unanimous support.

“You know, some funding is tough, and some is easy,” said the president. “When we say we’re going to save everyone’s lives in a crazy world, it seems to be very easy to get. Yeah, we’ve already spoken to everybody we have to speak to. Everybody’s in.”

The announcement also highlighted the involvement of both traditional defense contractors, such as Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, and emerging tech companies, reflecting the project’s open architecture approach.

This strategy aims to lower costs and foster innovation by allowing small and mid-sized firms to compete, which is a priority with Trump and Hegseth.

Both Trump and Hegseth believe that large defense contractors have become bloated with waste and hinder the advancement of more affordable, revolutionary technology.

Trump and his team emphasized the economic benefits of the missile defense project, particularly for states such as Indiana, Georgia and Florida, where manufacturing and defense industries are expected to thrive, partly due to Trump’s tariff policies.

Hegseth concluded by praising Trump’s leadership in confronting threats from adversaries such as Russia and China, framing the initiative as a legacy-defining achievement for national security and future generations.

“Our country was cold as ice a year ago, and now we have the hottest country in the world,” Trump noted about the momentum of the administration, including the Golden Dome announcement. “This is the hottest country in the world. Nobody even close. If you look at even this last trip that I made, the respect that is paid to our country. We went from being laughed at all over the world, and now we’re the hottest country in the world by far.”