Why Did Trump Turn into a Dreamer?
Author: Ali Askari, security expert (Germany), exclusively for Sangar
The initiative announced by U.S. President Donald Trump to develop a layered missile defense system (MD) called the "Golden Dome" is aimed solely at fulfilling his personal ambitions.
The American expert community, citing a statement by the project leader, General Michael Getlein, who admitted that “his team still has no clear understanding of what the final architecture of the system will look like,” expresses doubts about Washington’s ability to implement the "Golden Dome."
According to Daryl Kimball, head of the American Arms Control Association, the component of the project related to the deployment of anti-missile interceptors in outer space is “flawed, technically complex, and counterproductive.” He believes that one of the key problematic aspects is the vulnerability of the orbital constellation, since Russia and China could develop their own means of destroying satellites in a short time. The analyst emphasizes that a space-based missile defense system may soon become ineffective as offensive nuclear weapons move to a new level.
According to a report published by the American Physical Society in 2004, the number of space interceptors required to destroy a single solid-fueled ballistic missile is estimated to be several thousand. At the same time, despite a significant decrease in the cost of space launches, deploying a constellation of interceptors in space would remain an excessively expensive project.
In journalistic circles, the thesis that the initiative has purely media significance is also gaining popularity. Thus, according to analysts from The New York Times, it is primarily aimed at supporting President Donald Trump’s image and simulating the dominant role of the United States in the world.
