VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Part of the Golden Dome, a missile defense system meant to protect the U.S., was on display at Fort Story in Virginia Beach Thursday.
Military leaders gathered at the base to highlight the system's capabilities and importance.
“In short, we need Golden Dome for America," said NORAD Golden Dome of America Liaison Maj. Gen. Mark Piper.
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If a missile were to be launched at the United States, the military equipment on display at Fort Story, some of which could be placed around Hampton Roads, could help stop it according to military officials.
“We have experienced war fighters sitting side by side, daily, with our engineers and industry partners developing the nuts and bolts of Golden Dome," said Piper.
President Trump first announced the Golden Dome idea in January 2025, saying it will be operational by the end of his term.
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In January 2026, he discussed the idea at the World Economic Forum.
"All we want from Denmark. For national and international security and to keep our very energetic and dangerous potential enemies at bay, is this land on which we're going to build the greatest golden dome ever built," Trump said.
Military leaders said Thursday the project was on track to meet his deadline.
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“The nation is investing an enormous amount of national treasure into Golden Dome and we have reached a maturity in the program where we now have an architecture," Golden Dome Director Gen. Mike Guetlein.
At a House Armed Services subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill April 15, the subcommittee noted the Department of Defense’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2027 includes $17.5 billion for the Golden Dome.
“There’ll be stuff you can’t see. It’ll be in space. There’ll be stuff on the ground. A lot of hardware and software distributed throughout the country," Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering Emil Michael said.
The cost of the entire project, though, has been estimated to be close to $200 billion.
