CBO Estimates $1.2 Trillion Cost for Golden Dome Over 20 Years

A new Congressional Budget Office analysis estimates that President Donald Trump's Golden Dome missile defense program could cost $1.2 trillion over 20 years, far exceeding the $175 billion initial figure cited by the administration last May.

The nonpartisan report, published Tuesday and requested by Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., examines one illustrative approach to the system rather than a specific administration proposal. It highlights a lack of details from the Defense Department on the number and types of systems to be deployed, complicating precise long-term cost projections. Trump directed development of the program through an executive order in his first week in office, stating he expected it to be fully operational before his term ends in January 2029. The order cited escalating threats over the past 40 years from next-generation strategic weapons developed by peer and near-peer adversaries.

Envisioned as a multilayered shield including ground- and space-based sensors and interceptors, Golden Dome aims to detect, track and destroy missiles during boost, midcourse and terminal phases of flight. The concept draws partial inspiration from Israel's Iron Dome and other...