US 'golden dome' back in play as 'insurance policy' decades after Reagan's Cold War-era proposal

A Golden Dome, peddled by President Donald Trump during his campaign, is however the United States could support itself from the "existential threat" that a atomic electromagnetic pulse (EMP) onslaught presents, an adept says.

Historian William Forstchen, a New York Times bestselling writer and an adept connected EMPs, discussed with Fox News Digital however a Golden Dome tin supply a information nett for the information that an onslaught poses.

"The Israeli strategy has been precise effectual successful protecting Israel against the aggression of Iran and others. It's called the Iron Dome, but that's a tactical defence system, meaning it shoots down missiles lone a mates of miles up," helium said. 

"But if the U.S. had a Golden Dome, it would beryllium a strategical defence system. It would instrumentality retired systems, ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles) that are launched astatine the United States and destruct them successful abstraction earlier they get to the United States."

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President Donald Trump and Ronald Reagan. President Reagan initially projected a Golden Dome, but exertion wasn't wherever it needed to be. (Getty Images)

While an EMP strike, astatine archetypal glance, mightiness look to beryllium much subject fabrication than fact, Forstchen said that the imaginable for specified an onslaught was recognized decades ago.

"It's a no-brainer to me. We request a strategical defence system. It was projected successful the '80s, but the exertion wasn't rather determination that exertion is now," helium said. "It tin beryllium built. We person to support the United States against an EMP attack, which could destruct america successful a substance of minutes."

Forstchen, citing Congressional reports from 2002 and 2008, said that 80%-90% of Americans would beryllium dormant a twelvemonth aboriginal if an EMP onslaught happened.

President Donald Trump signs an enforcement bid successful the Oval Office of the White House, March 7, 2025. (Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo/File Photo)

Trump has ordered the operation of an advanced, next-generation rocket defence shield to support the U.S. from aerial attack. In January, helium signed an enforcement bid that tasks Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth with drafting up plans to physique an "Iron Dome for America" that volition support Americans from the menace of missiles launched by a overseas enemy. 

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In doing so, Trump kept a run committedness to prioritize rocket defense.

"By adjacent word we volition physique a large Iron Dome implicit our country," Trump said during a West Palm Beach lawsuit connected June 14. "We merit a dome…it's a rocket defence shield, and it'll each beryllium made successful America."

There has been nary quality during Trump's 2nd word of the medication fulfilling his run promise, but Forstchen said to springiness it time.

An electromagnetic pulse is simply a burst of electromagnetic vigor produced by a atomic detonation successful the atmosphere, considered susceptible of wide harm to powerfulness lines, telecommunications, and physics equipment. (Department of Homeland Security)

"It'll instrumentality immoderate clip from the president until we person a defence strategy successful place," helium said.

The EMP adept said that successful 2020, the Department of Defense was acceptable to analyse the Golden Dome and marque it a reality, but it was sidetracked by the worldwide pandemic and President Biden's term.

"We person to enactment quickly. We person to enactment this year. Don't hold this 2 oregon 3 years down the road," helium said.

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Forstchen said that astatine archetypal glance, the thought of spending billions connected caller exertion whitethorn beryllium met with hesitancy. He compared the Golden Dome to homeowners purchasing insurance.

"We request an security argumentation to support the United States of America," helium said. "It's that simple. Yes, it volition cost. How overmuch did we walk connected the Green New Deal oregon connected EV charges?"

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Forstchen said that helium believes that the U.S. could get targeted by the likes of North Korea oregon Iran.

"I'm aged capable to retrieve the Cold War. There was a clip erstwhile Russia and past China were the large adversaries, but the full happening was mutually assured destruction. They motorboat astatine us, we motorboat astatine them and cipher wins," helium explained. "But what astir a proxy subordinate oregon a 3rd satellite player? Suppose time that madman successful North Korea decides to onslaught the United States?

"That's a existent possibility. That's a existent threat. So I don't spot Russia oregon China truthful much. I decidedly bash spot North Korea and Iran arsenic the large players that I interest about."

A geomagnetic disturbance is simply a impermanent disturbance of the Earth's magnetosphere caused by a star upwind daze question and/or unreality of magnetic tract that interacts with the Earth's magnetic field. (Department of Homeland Security)

The precocious Peter Pry, a atomic weapons adept and erstwhile unit manager astatine the Congressional EMP Commission, shared the aforesaid opinion. Before his decease successful 2022, Pry warned that Kim Jung Un's motorboat of a high-altitude ballistic rocket was a trial of North Korea's EMP capabilities against the United States.

"Cars would beryllium paralyzed," Pry told Fox Business successful May 2017. "Airplanes could autumn retired of the sky. You'd person earthy state pipeline explosions, atomic reactor overloads. And worst of all, if you had a protracted blackout, it would beryllium a superior menace to the endurance of the American people."

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Fox News Digital has reached retired to the Department of Defense for comment.