A Pentagon official told The Center Square that the Golden Dome missile shield “protects all Americans to include Guam, Alaska and Hawaii,” and said the system is meant to defend all of America, “not part of America.” The official said the program’s cost is $185 billion through 2035. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), however, estimated a notional system consistent with administration goals could cost about $1.2 trillion over 20 years in 2026 dollars. The figures cover different time frames and scopes, according to CBO’s written testimony and statements to The Center Square.
What the Pentagon says it will buy
The Pentagon official, identified by The Center Square only as a member of the Golden Dome program office, said $185 billion covers the program’s “objective architecture” through 2035. The official did not say which areas the system will defend and did not address testimony that not every American can be protected, citing operational security, per The Center Square.
Northern Command, which maintains the military’s defended asset list, referred questions to the Office of the Secretary of War, which responded through the program office, according to The Center Square. A spokesperson for Sen. Deb Fischer, R‑Neb., who chairs the Senate Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee, told The Center Square the program’s specifics are classified.
What CBO counted—and why it’s higher
CBO put the 20‑year total at $1.2 trillion, or roughly $9,300 per U.S. household over that period using Census Bureau household counts from 2020–2024, The Center Square reported. CBO said the Pentagon’s $185 billion “appears to cover a shorter time frame” and may reflect a different scope of activities and budget categories. CBO also noted that $1.2 trillion is roughly a year’s worth of federal net interest; the government spent $1.05 trillion on net interest in the first 11 months of the current fiscal year, per CBO’s August monthly review.
David Mosher, who directs CBO’s National Security Division, testified that the Golden Dome program office briefed CBO for the first time on Sept. 25—four months after CBO published its estimate in May. CBO told The Center Square it had received no information from the program office before releasing that estimate.
Coverage questions on Capitol Hill
At a Senate Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee hearing Tuesday, Sen. Angus King, I‑Maine, pressed witnesses on the program’s implied promise. “The implication of the term Golden Dome is a national coverage,” King said. “I think all of you will agree that that is just not in the cards.” Asked whether every American could be protected, former Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy David Trachtenberg replied, “No, I’m not saying every citizen can be protected.” He said he did not have insight into the architectural plans and expected phased deployment.
King later asked, “Is it going to protect Cleveland but not Sioux Falls? Is it going to protect New York but not Richmond? I think that’s an unanswered question. And as near as I can tell, protecting the entire country is impossible. And so there are going to be choices made.” He said those choices must be made public.
Design trade‑offs: space layer vs. cost
CBO’s estimate attributes about $743 billion of the total to a space‑based interceptor layer. Without that layer, CBO said a similar system would cost about $448 billion over 20 years but would not meet the objectives in President Donald Trump’s January 2025 executive order.
CBO did not estimate the share of population or land area covered. Its testimony said 35 regional sectors would be enough to protect most of the U.S. population. Tom Karako of the Center for Strategic and International Studies testified that defended asset lists and other operational details “should remain closely held,” and said the place to start in deciding what Golden Dome protects is Northern Command’s defended asset list.
Pentagon rebuttal to $1.2T
Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein, the program’s director, wrote in a Sept. 24 Washington Post opinion piece that estimates “approaching $1.2 trillion and higher” are “sensational projections” that “envision a hypothetical system using legacy technology and outdated cost models.” He wrote that his office has briefed congressional committees “dozens of times over the past year.” CBO told The Center Square it is not a congressional committee and received no program office information before publishing its May estimate.
Guam as a reference point
King cited Guam to illustrate the trade‑offs. Lt. Gen. Robert Rasch, who runs the Guam Defense System Joint Program Office, told the subcommittee in May 2025 that Guam’s missile defense represents “about an $8 billion investment.” He said that figure was not new spending but the cost of systems the services were already building that would be located on the island.
Next: the funding fight
Karako testified that Golden Dome and the broader munitions effort “will stand or fall on 2027 funding.” Congress provided about $25 billion for Golden Dome in the 2025 reconciliation law, according to The Center Square. The administration’s 2027 request seeks $17.5 billion for the program, $17.1 billion of it contingent on a reconciliation package that has not passed. The Center Square noted the fiscal year ends at midnight.
