Golden Dome could cost up to $1.2 trillion over 20 years, CBO estimates
WASHINGTON — A “notional national missile defense system” akin to President Donald Trump’s signature Golden Dome missile shield project could cost up to $1.2 trillion to develop, deploy and then operate for two decades, according to a new estimate published by the Congressional Budget Office.
The office acknowledged that since the Department of Defense has publicly released few details about the underlying architecture of the Golden Dome project, it’s “impossible to estimate the long-term cost of the GDA [Golden Dome for America] system being contemplated by DoD.”
“In the absence of specific plans for GDA’s objective architecture, CBO has estimated the cost of a notional NMD architecture based on the defensive systems and capabilities that are called for in the executive order,” it says, referring to Trump’s January 2025 EO calling for what was then called an Iron Dome for America.
The CBO’s estimate is the latest in an ever-growing pricetag for the sprawling missile shield. In May 2025, President Donald Trump said the program would cost $175 billion, presumably to initially deploy. Last month, Golden Dome program manager Gen. Michael Guetlein acknowledged the cost to stand up Golden Dome would come in around $185 billion.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the Golden Dome missile defense system could cost up to $1.2 trillion over 20 years. This estimate is based on a notional national missile defense architecture, as the Department of Defense has not provided specific details. Previous estimates for initial deployment costs ranged from $175 billion to $185 billion. The report is ongoing and will be updated as more information becomes available.
- The Golden Dome missile defense system could cost up to $1.2 trillion over 20 years.
- The Congressional Budget Office published this estimate.
- The Department of Defense has released few details about the system's architecture.
- Previous estimates for initial deployment costs were around $175 billion to $185 billion.
- The report is still developing and will be updated.