Reference Message Network reported on May 22 that the British Independent website published an article titled "What Would Trump's Dream 'Gold Dome' Look Like" on May 20. The author is Katie Hawkins. The article analyzes why some experts warn that "the Gold Dome has big problems". The content is compiled as follows:

Trump issued an executive order to build the "American Iron Dome" (later renamed the "American Gold Dome" - editor's note) just seven days after taking office, aiming to create an advanced defense system to protect the United States from long-range missile attacks.

Now, Trump has disclosed more details about this plan. The concept of the "Gold Dome" is reminiscent of Israel's missile defense system, but there are several key differences between this American ally's "Iron Dome" and what Trump calls the "Gold Dome".

First, the "Gold Dome" must cover a much larger area than the "Iron Dome". Wes Rumbaugh, a researcher in the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that the "Gold Dome" must also be much more comprehensive, requiring multiple systems to locate, track, and intercept any type of aerial threat that the United States may face. In contrast, Israel's "Iron Dome" is specifically designed to defend against short-range rockets and artillery shells.

So, why do some experts warn that Trump's plan "has big problems"?

For the "Gold Dome" plan, the space-based missile defense system will be crucial. Trump's executive order outlines some simple components of the "Gold Dome" plan, such as an updated assessment of missile threat risks and a list of strategic locations requiring proactive defense against missile threats.

However, the most important component is also the most complex: building a network of "space-based interceptors", such as laser weapons, which will be able to intercept or destroy warheads shortly after enemy missiles are launched. This brings to mind President Reagan's space-based missile defense system, which critics mockingly called the "Star Wars" program.

Officials building any space-based interceptor system need to ensure that every possible attacker and target is covered - you cannot just cover Florida and ignore California. But this means building a vast network to ensure that interceptors are always in the right position. Michael O'Hanlon, director of the Foreign Policy Program at the Brookings Institution, believes this will be extremely expensive and "very inefficient".

O'Hanlon also said that lasers themselves bring cost issues because they require large amounts of fuel and huge mirrors to be sent into space, which can focus laser energy to destroy warheads.

Can the "Gold Dome" dream come true? Rumbaugh believes that purely from a technical perspective, the "Gold Dome" project is feasible, but whether it can really be built depends on other factors.

If the United States builds such a powerful defense system, it may stimulate opponents to further strengthen their offensive capabilities, triggering a global arms race. O'Hanlon said this could trigger a feedback loop, leaving officials increasingly mired in a situation where the United States becomes "less secure and obviously poorer".

O'Hanlon also said: "If you really try to make this system fully resistant to all kinds of attacks, even including a Russian nuclear attack, then you will reignite a series of long-standing debates about whether this might trigger another arms race, and in this race, strengthening defenses remains more difficult and costly than reinforcing offense."

Other challenges include budget and scale. Rumbaugh said that some people have compared the "Gold Dome" to the "Manhattan Project," the top-secret plan by the United States during World War II to develop the atomic bomb. O'Hanlon also expects the cost of the "Gold Dome" project to be astronomical.

Rumbaugh added that cooperation and resource sharing may also pose difficulties, and the arrangements remain unclear. How will the Missile Defense Agency, Space Force, Army, Navy, Air Force, and various agencies work together to manage the "Gold Dome"? This remains to be answered. (Compiled by Zhu Li)

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7507210666856645155/

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