Golden Dome may not fully protect US from Chinese and Russian threats, experts say
US President Donald Trump’s ambitious plan to build a national missile defence system, dubbed the “Golden Dome”, may not be able to fully protect America but could accelerate the global arms race involving China, Russia and North Korea, according to experts. “If we expand these missile defences further, we can expect additional responses,” said Steve Fetter, a professor at the University of…
President Donald Trump's plan for a national missile defence system, known as the "Golden Dome," faces criticism from experts who argue it may not fully protect the US against threats from China, Russia and North Korea. Steve Fetter, a professor at the University of Maryland, warns that expanding the missile defences could provoke counter-responses from these nations.
Michael O'Hanlon, from the Brookings Institution, adds that deploying such a system often results in an arms race, as nations overestimate their defence capabilities and the adversary overestimates their offence. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) also reported that while the Golden Dome would be more capable than existing US defences, it would not be an impenetrable shield against a large-scale attack from countries like Russia or China.
Trump's executive order aims to create a "next-generation missile defence shield" to defend against advanced aerial attacks. However, critics argue that the plan could lead to an arms race due to the high costs and complexities involved, with the CBO estimating that 70% of the $1.2 trillion budget would be allocated to space-based interceptors, which could require hundreds of units to be effective.
Written by urgent.news from Reuters Business via SCMP's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
