Trump to make Golden Dome announcement on Tuesday, US officials say

By Mike Stone

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Donald Trump is expected to announce the path forward and the leader of his ambitious Golden Dome missile defense shield on Tuesday, two U.S. officials said.

The vice chief of space operations, United States Space Force General Michael Guetlein, is expected to be in the Oval Office this afternoon where the officials, who declined to be identified, said that it was likely he will be named as the lead program manager on the multibillion-dollar project widely viewed as the keystone to Trump's military planning.

Trump plans to make a 3 p.m. ET (1900 GMT) announcement with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, the White House said in an update to the president's schedule.

The Golden Dome missile defense shield, first ordered by Trump in January, aims to create a network of satellites to detect, track and potentially intercept incoming missiles. The shield could deploy hundreds of satellites for missile detection and tracking.

Golden Dome is estimated to cost tens of billions of dollars and take years to implement, as the controversial program faces both political scrutiny and funding uncertainty.

Democratic lawmakers have voiced concern about the procurement process and the involvement of Trump ally Elon Musk's SpaceX, which has emerged as a frontrunner alongside Palantir and Anduril to build key components of the system.

The Golden Dome idea was inspired by Israel's land-based Iron Dome defense shield that protects it from missiles and rockets. Trump's Golden Dome is much more extensive and includes a massive array of surveillance satellites and a separate fleet of attacking satellites that would shoot down offensive missiles soon after lift-off.

The project's funding remains uncertain. Republican lawmakers have proposed a $25 billion initial investment for Golden Dome as part of a broader $150 billion defense package, but this funding is tied to a contentious reconciliation bill that faces significant hurdles in Congress.

"Unless reconciliation passes, the funds for Golden Dome may not materialize," said an industry executive following the program. "This puts the entire project timeline in jeopardy."

The SpaceX-led consortium has proposed an unusual "subscription service" model for their portion of the system, where the government would pay for access to the technology rather than own it outright. This approach has raised concerns among some Pentagon officials about long-term costs and control.

A group of 42 Democratic lawmakers led by Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Greg Casar has called for an investigation into Musk's role in the bidding process, citing his position as a special adviser to Trump and his substantial campaign donations exceeding $250 million.

(Reporting by Mike Stone and Doina Chiacu in Washington; Editing by Mark Porter and Howard Goller)