Latest news with #missileShield
The Independent
13-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Trump team weighs shutting out Musk's SpaceX from ‘Golden Dome' project as fallout from feud lingers
The role of Elon Musk's SpaceX in the Trump administration's Golden Dome missile project is reportedly in doubt following the feud between the billionaire and President Donald Trump last week. Musk's company appeared to be the frontrunner to begin work on the ambitious project to create a missile shield over America, a project that would have pocketed Musk billions. But after last week's explosive breakup, which Musk has since attempted some damage control, the project is in jeopardy, three people familiar with plans told Reuters. 'Because of the blowup, the Pentagon has been given the space to look at other alternatives,' one of the people told the news agency. The White House said in a statement that any decision on the project would be made 'prioritizing the best deal for America and leveraging the most advanced and innovative technology.' A spokesperson added that the administration 'is committed to a rigorous review process for all bids and contracts.' A senior Defense Department official told Reuters that the Pentagon 'has no announcements regarding future contracts associated with the Golden Dome effort.' If SpaceX misses out on the project, it would signal the significance of the president's personal relationships when it comes to his leadership, aerospace and defense experts said. 'That people guiding the program or building it are approved based on their political affiliation signals a real concern that the project itself is very politicized and not being conducted on the technical merits,' Laura Grego, a missile defense expert and research director at the non-profit Union of Concerned Scientists, told Reuters. Insiders also told the outlet that there is a lot of uncertainty looming over the project and a 'scramble' among contractors and industry experts. 'There isn't a coordinated effort with a true vision,' an insider told the outlet. 'All of these companies are just grabbing at this pot of money.' The independent Congressional Budget Office has estimated the project could take 20 years to complete and cost $524 billion. After last week's blowup between Trump and Musk, the tech mogul issued a groveling climbdown in the early hours of Wednesday, expressing regret over the public fallout between him and Trump last week. 'I regret some of my posts about President Donald Trump last week. They went too far,' the world's richest man wrote on X. Trump also hinted that reconciliation between the pair was possible. 'Look, I have no hard feelings,' Trump said in the interview recorded on Monday.
South China Morning Post
28-05-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
US ‘Golden Dome' risks nuclear war in outer space, North Korea says
North Korea has slammed US President Donald Trump 's 'Golden Dome' missile shield plan as a 'very dangerous' threat that aims to weaponise space, state media reported on Tuesday. Pyongyang's foreign ministry has issued a memorandum calling the system 'a very dangerous 'threatening initiative' aimed at threatening the strategic security of the nuclear weapons states,' the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. Trump announced new details and initial funding for the missile shield system last week, calling it 'very important for the success and even survival of our country'. The initiative faces significant technical and political challenges, according to analysts, and could come at a hefty price tag. Projectiles launched by Israel's Iron Dome system intercept rockets fired from Gaza in October 2023. Trump's 'Golden Dome' plan gets its name from Israel's air-defence system. Photo: AP The memorandum by nuclear-armed North Korea accused the United States of being 'hell-bent on the moves to militarise outer space', KCNA said. 'The US plan for building a new missile defence system is the root cause of sparking off global nuclear and space arms race by stimulating the security concerns of nuclear weapons states and turning the outer space into a potential nuclear war field,' it added.
Asharq Al-Awsat
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
North Korea Says US Missile Shield Plans Risk ‘Nuclear War' in Space
North Korea slammed on Tuesday US President Donald Trump's "Golden Dome" missile shield plan as a "very dangerous" threat that could spark nuclear war in space, state media said. Trump announced new details and initial funding for the missile shield system last week, calling it "very important for the success and even survival of our country". The initiative faces significant technical and political challenges, according to analysts, and could come at a hefty price tag. In a statement shared by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Pyongyang's foreign ministry slammed the "very dangerous 'threatening initiative' aimed at threatening the strategic security of the nuclear weapons states". The United States is "hell-bent on the moves to militarize outer space," the foreign ministry said. "The US plan for building a new missile defense system is the root cause of sparking off global nuclear and space arms race by stimulating the security concerns of nuclear weapons states and turning... outer space into a potential nuclear war field," it added. Washington -- Seoul's key security ally -- has in recent years ramped up joint military exercises and increased the presence of strategic US assets, such as an aircraft carrier and a nuclear-powered submarine, in the region to deter the North. Pyongyang has repeatedly declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear weapons state and routinely denounces joint US-South Korea drills as rehearsals for invasion. Hong Min, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told AFP that Pyongyang saw Trump's "Golden Dome" as a threat. "The North's strong reaction suggests it views the Golden Dome as capable of significantly weakening the effectiveness of its nuclear arsenal, including its ICBMs," he said. "If the US completes its new missile defense program, the North will be forced to develop alternative means to counter or penetrate it," he added. - China, Russia modernizing weapons - China has also expressed strong concerns about Washington's Golden Dome plan, accusing the United States of undermining global stability. Beijing is closing the gap with Washington when it comes to ballistic and hypersonic missile technology, while Moscow is modernizing its intercontinental-range missile systems and developing advanced precision strike missiles, according to a 2022 Pentagon review. The Kremlin has said Trump's initiative would require consultations with Russia but was otherwise a "sovereign matter" for the United States, softening its tone after also previously slamming the idea as destabilizing. The plan's Golden Dome name stems from Israel's Iron Dome air defense system, which has intercepted thousands of short-range rockets and other projectiles since it went into operation in 2011. The United States faces various missile threats from adversaries, but they differ significantly from the short-range weapons that Israel's Iron Dome is designed to counter.
News.com.au
27-05-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
North Korea says US missile shield plans risk 'nuclear war' in space
North Korea slammed on Tuesday US President Donald Trump's "Golden Dome" missile shield plan as a "very dangerous" threat that could spark nuclear war in space, state media said. Trump announced new details and initial funding for the missile shield system last week, calling it "very important for the success and even survival of our country". The initiative faces significant technical and political challenges, according to analysts, and could come at a hefty price tag. In a statement shared by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Pyongyang's foreign ministry slammed the "very dangerous 'threatening initiative' aimed at threatening the strategic security of the nuclear weapons states". The United States is "hell-bent on the moves to militarize outer space," the foreign ministry said. "The US plan for building a new missile defense system is the root cause of sparking off global nuclear and space arms race by stimulating the security concerns of nuclear weapons states and turning... outer space into a potential nuclear war field," it added. Washington -- Seoul's key security ally -- has in recent years ramped up joint military exercises and increased the presence of strategic US assets, such as an aircraft carrier and a nuclear-powered submarine, in the region to deter the North. Pyongyang has repeatedly declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear weapons state and routinely denounces joint US-South Korea drills as rehearsals for invasion. Hong Min, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told AFP that Pyongyang saw Trump's "Golden Dome" as a threat. "The North's strong reaction suggests it views the Golden Dome as capable of significantly weakening the effectiveness of its nuclear arsenal, including its ICBMs," he said. "If the US completes its new missile defence programme, the North will be forced to develop alternative means to counter or penetrate it," he added. - China, Russia modernising weapons - China has also expressed strong concerns about Washington's Golden Dome plan, accusing the United States of undermining global stability. Beijing is closing the gap with Washington when it comes to ballistic and hypersonic missile technology, while Moscow is modernising its intercontinental-range missile systems and developing advanced precision strike missiles, according to a 2022 Pentagon review. The Kremlin has said Trump's initiative would require consultations with Russia but was otherwise a "sovereign matter" for the United States, softening its tone after also previously slamming the idea as destabilising. The plan's Golden Dome name stems from Israel's Iron Dome air defence system which has intercepted thousands of short-range rockets and other projectiles since it went into operation in 2011. The United States faces various missile threats from adversaries, but they differ significantly from the short-range weapons that Israel's Iron Dome is designed to counter.
South China Morning Post
27-05-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
North Korea says US ‘Golden Dome' risks nuclear war in outer space
North Korea has slammed US President Donald Trump 's 'Golden Dome' missile shield plan as a 'very dangerous' threat that aims to weaponise space, state media reported on Tuesday. Pyongyang's foreign ministry has issued a memorandum calling the system 'a very dangerous 'threatening initiative' aimed at threatening the strategic security of the nuclear weapons states,' the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. Trump announced new details and initial funding for the missile shield system last week, calling it 'very important for the success and even survival of our country'. The initiative faces significant technical and political challenges, according to analysts, and could come at a hefty price tag. Projectiles launched by Israel's Iron Dome system intercept rockets fired from Gaza in October 2023. Trump's 'Golden Dome' plan gets its name from Israel's air-defence system. Photo: AP The memorandum by nuclear-armed North Korea accused the United States of being 'hell-bent on the moves to militarise outer space', KCNA said. 'The US plan for building a new missile defence system is the root cause of sparking off global nuclear and space arms race by stimulating the security concerns of nuclear weapons states and turning the outer space into a potential nuclear war field,' it added.
