President Trump has ordered the development of a next-generation missile defense system he likened to Israel’s Iron Dome in an executive order he signed on Monday that described ballistic missiles and other advanced aerial weapons as “the most catastrophic threat facing the United States.”
But experts immediately raised questions about whether an Iron Dome-style system was feasible for the United States, which is more than 400 times the size of Israel.
The order, titled “Iron Dome for America,” gives the Pentagon 60 days to submit details for the plan, which includes accelerating development of U.S. hypersonic missiles and “space-based interceptors.”
Mr. Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the new system would be a significant expansion of the United States’ air defense capabilities. The order aims to build on efforts by the United States over decades and presents Mr. Trump’s plan as an attempt to finalize a vision of Ronald Reagan. As president in the 1980s, Reagan spent billions to build a defense against potential nuclear attack — a system, known as “Star Wars,” that ultimately failed.
Proponents of such a system for the United States point to recent events, including Russia’s use of hypersonic missiles in Ukraine and missile barrages on Israel last year from Iran and the allied Lebanese militia Hezbollah. Israel’s Iron Dome anti-projectile system, made by an Israeli company called Rafael, helped intercept many of the launches.
But shielding the United States from such attacks presents technical challenges that far exceed those faced by Israel, experts said. Missile defense is most effective as a shield for a smaller country, they said, and the cost of developing one for the United States could be prohibitive.
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