Fox News
A constellation of up to 2,000 linked satellite interceptors could cost less than one piece of today’s system
In response to an executive order, President Donald Trump’s team will present him with a plan for creating the Golden Dome, a missile defense shield meant to guard against attacks that are increasingly difficult to defeat. This effort will demand innovative thinking, collective will and rapid action.
Since my tenure as director of the Missile Defense Agency in the early 2000s, an integrated network of sensors based in space, land and sea paired with ground-based interceptors has effectively deterred rudimentary missile attacks on our homeland from Iran, North Korea and others. But as they continue to improve their capabilities and as we look at a resurgent Russia and aggressive China, we need to build our next-generation missile defense.
The window to defeat ballistic missiles heading to targets in the U.S. is less than 40 minutes and can be as brief as 10 or 15 minutes if launched from a submarine closer to its target. Being able to intercept a substantial number of warheads in-flight provides significant deterrence to an attacker, thereby saving millions of lives and the infrastructure of the U.S.
