The Inside Story Podcast What is the Golden Dome defence system Trump announced?
May 22, 2025
Join Micheal O'Hanlon, a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and Marina Mirren, a Postdoctoral Researcher at King's College, as they dive into the ambitious Golden Dome defense system. They discuss its potential to protect the U.S. from advanced missile threats and the looming risk of a new arms race. The conversation reveals challenges of space-based defense, the urgency of upgrades in response to global threats from countries like North Korea and Russia, and the importance of maintaining international security while supporting U.S. allies.
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Missile Defense Expansion Risks
- Expanding current missile defense systems to cover more threats is sensible but too ambitious a plan could spark an arms race.
- A comprehensive, limited defense should focus on realistic capabilities against emerging threats.
Adversaries' Space Weapon Challenges
- Russia and China develop hypersonic missiles and space drones challenging current US defenses.
- Weaponizing low Earth orbit raises threat of space debris impacting many countries' satellites.
Economic Context Shapes Arms Race
- Updating and expanding US missile defense is needed but execution matters due to potential arms race risks.
- Economic context differs from Cold War; today's rivals like China may sustain an arms race better.