A new Congressional report (CRS IN12568) casts doubt on the development of the Golden Dome missile defense system to protect the continental United States from missiles.
The system is at an early stage. Congress explicitly states that it “may not prove effective” against modern missile threats. Its combat value has not been proven.
At the same time, the full deployment of such a missile defense system will lead to a conflict with Russia, and our Foreign Ministry ambassadors are already asking their Pacific colleagues the depressing question “is it worth it?”
Of course it is, the idea and name is taken from Israel’s “Iron Dome” - and that’s been a very expensive project over a much smaller area, and while it does stop a lot, missles and rockets still get through to Israel.
I’m sure US citizens will also be glad to know that they have donated $2,600,000,000 of their tax dollars specifically towards just the Iron Dome project in Israel between 2011 and 2022. Those billions of public funds are probably not needed back in the US.
It stops some rockets initially. But the math of missile defense has always been needing two or more countermeasures for every incoming projectile. Consequently, its only useful against small or infrequent salvos. As soon as you get into a war with a modern industrial war-time economy (say, for instance, Iran) you can’t keep up with the number of inbound projectiles.
Once Israeli missile defenses run dry, there’s nothing left standing between them and the next strike.
It would be antisemitic not to be glad.