President Donald Trump is reportedly slated to sign an executive order that would call for the construction of a missile defense shield that could protect the United States against long-range attacks – similar to Israel’s Iron Dome.
The “next generation” missile defense shield would protect the U.S. from ballistic, hypersonic, advanced cruise missiles and other advanced aerial attacks, according to a fact sheet seen by CNN.
Though no weapons of this sort have been used against the U.S. in modern times, it takes inspiration from the defense system that the U.S. helped Israel build and deploy in the 2000s.
On the campaign trail, Trump promised to create an “impenetrable dome” to protect the U.S. from attacks.
Newly-approved Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth teased the executive order in a speech on Monday.
“There are more executive orders coming that we fully support, on removing DEI inside the Pentagon, reinstating troops who were pushed out because of Covid mandates, the Iron Dome for America,” Hegseth said.
According to the president, the new system “will be made all in the USA.”
What is the Iron Dome?
The Iron Dome is the name of the aerial defense system developed and used by Israel to recognize, intercept and destroy short-range rockets and other weapons.
Deployed in 2011, the system operates 24/7 in all weather conditions and can detect incoming threats between two and 43 miles away.
Once the system detects a threat it fires missiles at it to prevent it from striking populated areas.
The developers of the Iron Dome, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries, say it has a success rate of 90 percent.
The U.S. supplied Israel with more than $2 billion to help create and maintain the Iron Dome.
What would the U.S. Iron Dome do?
Like the Iron Dome, the system Trump wants the U.S. to develop would detect, intercept and destroy incoming threats. However, the one the president wants would work against long-range missiles.
It would reportedly use advanced space-based systems to detect and shoot down threats.
“The Executive Order directs implementation of a next generation missile defense shield for the United States against ballistic, hypersonic, advanced cruise missiles, and other next generation aerial attacks,” the fact sheet for the executive order said according to CNN.
The fact sheet did not indicate how much it would cost to construct an Iron Dome or how long it would take to develop.
The U.S. military currently uses several air defense systems including the Patriot System and Stinger launcher – both allow military members to launch missiles at aerial threats to intercept them.
