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Trump Announces Iron Dome to Protect America


(FILE) A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor is launched during a successful intercept test, in this undated handout photo provided by the U.S. Department of Defense.
(FILE) A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor is launched during a successful intercept test, in this undated handout photo provided by the U.S. Department of Defense.

“The President gave us a clear mission: achieve Peace through Strength. We will do this in three ways — by restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding our military, and reestablishing deterrence,” said Secretary Hegseth.

Trump Announces Iron Dome to Protect America
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The threat of attack by ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles, and other advanced aerial attacks, remains the most catastrophic threat facing the United States. To protect against such threats, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order to Build the Iron Dome for America.

The Executive Order directs implementation of a next-generation missile defense shield for the United States against ballistic, hypersonic, advanced cruise missiles, and other next-generation aerial attacks. It also provides for secure supply chains for all components of the Iron Dome.

The Executive Order directs a review of theater missile defense posture to defend United States troops deployed abroad and an increase in cooperation on missile defense technology development, capabilities, and operations with partners and allies.

Over the past 40 years, rather than lessening, the threat from next-generation strategic weapons, including hypersonic, has become more complex with the development of next-generation delivery systems by our adversaries.

President Ronald Reagan endeavored to build an effective defense against nuclear attacks, and while this program resulted in many technological advances, it was canceled before its goal could be realized. And since the United States withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002 and initiated development of limited homeland missile defense, official United States homeland missile defense policy has remained only to stay ahead of rogue-nation threats and accidental or unauthorized missile launches.

The executive order requires the newly sworn in Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to within 60 days submit to President Trump a reference architecture, capabilities-based requirements, and an implementation plan for the next-generation missile defense shield.

The Iron Dome is intended to maintain peace through strength. By empowering the United States with a second-strike capability, the Iron Dome will deter adversaries from attacks on the homeland.

“We will put America First, and we will never back down,” pledged Secretary Hegseth. “The President gave us a clear mission: achieve Peace through Strength. We will do this in three ways — by restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding our military, and reestablishing deterrence.”

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