Trump reignites 'Star Wars' with iron dome for America plan

The document titled "The Iron Dome for America" outlines the construction of a "next-generation missile defense shield" and is currently a general directive. Signed by Donald Trump, it requires the Secretary of Defense to present a plan for the defense system to the President within 60 days.

The system aims to protect the United States from ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons, advanced cruise missiles, and other new-generation aerial attacks. It plans to neutralize threats during the missiles' flight and descent towards the target—and notably broaden the future system's capabilities—before launch and during the launch phase.

An element of this system will be sensors deployed in space, placed into orbit as part of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) program developed since 2018, along with its component, the early warning system called HBTSS (Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor).

This technology involves deploying hundreds of satellites in space, allowing for the creation of a multi-layered sensor network. Early threat detection and rapid communication aim to identify threats in time to counteract them effectively.

The construction of such a system—defensive in theory—also increases offensive capabilities. A nation capable of defending against an initial attack can also repel retaliatory strikes.

The space component of the defense system may evoke the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) from over 30 years ago, a Reagan-era project. These associations are confirmed by the directive itself.

It includes a paragraph noting that President Reagan's attempt to build an anti-ballistic defense system spurred technological advancements but was halted before achieving its goal.

The document also concludes that over recent decades, the threat from strategic weapons has increased. While it doesn't specifically name countries perceived as unfriendly by the US, it likely hints at the rapid development of missile capabilities in North Korea or Iran.

Among the goals of building the new system, aside from the general aim of ensuring safety for "citizens and critical infrastructure against — any foreign aerial attack on the Homeland."

An important part of the document focuses on allies. The presidential directive clearly specifies the intent to enhance cooperation with foreign partners to improve the protection of "ally populations and troops and of forward-deployed United States troops."

The document also expresses the intention to explore how the United States can enhance and expedite the delivery of missile defense capabilities to its allies and partners.

Comparing Donald Trump's plans to Ronald Reagan's Star Wars is intriguing and is based on more than just their resemblance to space projects. Trump's "Star Wars" might have more in common with Reagan's "Star Wars" than initially expected.

The SDI program is credited as one of the factors that forced the USSR into a costly arms race, leading to its collapse and securing America's global hegemony for the following 30 years.

The success of the "Iron Dome for America," especially its space component, could once again give the US an edge, reducing the risk of America suffering severe losses from attacks carried out with strategic weapons.

The development of such capabilities can also be seen as an attempt by Washington to confront US rivals, like China, in a domain where America still holds an advantage.

This advantage stems from the ability to quickly build and rebuild space infrastructure. This capability is facilitated by significantly lowering the costs of launching payloads into space, made possible in part by SpaceX's successes. China, developing its Qianfan satellite constellation or GuoWang, is also dynamically—and not without challenges—advancing its capabilities in this area.

Simultaneously, American missions like Victus Nox have shown the potential to shorten preparation time for space flights from months to mere hours—as demonstrated during a test launch where a satellite was placed in orbit just 27 hours after the decision was made. Washington can not only deploy hundreds of satellites into orbit but can also quickly rebuild its space capabilities if needed, currently giving it an advantage over global competitors.