In response to one of his campaign promises, U.S. President Donald Trump has officially announced plans to build a "Golden Dome Missile Defense Shield," which he says will be completed near the end of his presidency. Trump isn’t the first president to propose such a system—former President Ronald Reagan also introduced a similar idea, though the technology to actually build it was not available during his administration.

What exactly is the Golden Dome?

The Golden Dome will be an advanced missile defense system capable of intercepting missiles launched from across the world, even from space, according to Trump. The name is a play on Israel's own 'Iron Dome', which the United States helped build & fund.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also gave a statement, explaining that the Golden Dome will be capable of preventing not just missile attacks, but also drone attacks, both conventional and nuclear.

The Golden Dome will be a "state-of-the-art system that will deploy next-generation technologies across the land, sea, and space, including space sensors and interceptors," Trump said in his announcement.

When will it be built?

Trump stated in his announcement that the architecture for the system has already been selected, and he claims construction will be completed in approximately three years—around the end of his presidency. The project carries a hefty price tag of $175 billion, and questions remain about how effective it will actually be at intercepting missile attacks. Critics argue it could spark a new space-race.

You can watch the announcement by clicking here.