The US Congressional Budget Office revealed that the cost of the “Golden Dome” missile defense system launched by US President Donald Trump may reach $1.2 trillion over two decades, an estimate that far exceeds the numbers previously announced by the US administration.
According to the office’s report, more than $1 trillion of the total cost will be allocated to acquisition operations, including layers of missile interception, warning systems, and space tracking.
The report indicated that the space interception system is the most expensive element in the project, as it alone accounts for about 70% of the acquisition costs and approximately 60% of the total expected spending.
The report also estimated the average annual operating and support costs at about $8.3 billion, which reflects the size of the long-term financial burdens of the new defense project, according to Agence France-Presse.
Trump had directed the US Department of Defense, the Pentagon, in January 2025 to develop plans to create an advanced missile defense shield, which initially bore the name “America’s Iron Dome,” before it was later transformed into “Golden Dome.”
In May 2025, Trump announced the allocation of $25 billion for the project, estimating its total cost at only about $175 billion, a figure far lower than the latest budget office estimates.
The US Congressional Budget Office had warned in a previous report that the cost of space-based interceptor missiles capable of confronting a limited number of intercontinental ballistic missiles could range between $161 and $542 billion within 20 years.
