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Trump’s “Iron Dome for America” is a Missile Shield Fantasy
Is Trump’s missile defense shield realistic? I think the title gave it away…
Another day, another grandiose military project that promises the impossible. President Donald Trump’s recent executive order — dubbed the “Iron Dome for America” — aims to build a next-generation missile defense system capable of stopping anything from rogue-state ICBMs to hypersonic weapons and cruise missiles.
In theory, this marks a major shift in US homeland defense strategy, which has historically focused on deterring threats from the likes of North Korea and Iran rather than preparing for a full-on slugfest with Russia and China.
But in reality? Well, let’s just say we’ve seen this movie before — multiple times — and it never ends with America safely tucked behind an impenetrable force field.
Trump’s plan calls for a sweeping missile defense architecture, including radars, space-based sensors, and interceptors.
The order even revives the long-dead dream of space-based missile interceptors, a concept that’s been scrapped more times than Russia has claimed it’s “winning” in Ukraine.
Defense experts argue that while the US does need to plug holes in its cruise missile and air defense capabilities, the idea of a magic shield that protects…
