The Pentagon's $175 billion Golden Dome missile defense shield, designed to protect the US from incoming ballistic and hypersonic missiles, takes a page from Hollywood in explaining its purpose. According to Gen. Michael Guetlein, the four-star general overseeing the program, the concept of nuclear deterrence was first outlined by Idris Elba's character in the film "A House of Dynamite", where a fictional American president argues that being prepared is key to preventing war.
Guetlein pointed out that if an adversary believes the US can defend itself from destruction, they may be less likely to launch a nuclear attack. This theory is reminiscent of the concept of mutual assured destruction, which was central to the US-Soviet nuclear arms race in the 1950s and 60s. The Pentagon's Golden Dome program aims to achieve this goal by deploying hundreds or thousands of Space-Based Interceptors (SBIs) on satellites in low-Earth orbit.
Critics argue that Golden Dome is too expensive, could destabilize global order, and increase the risk of a nuclear attack. They claim that if an adversary believes the US can protect itself from widespread destruction, they may be more likely to launch a nuclear attack. The Pentagon's success rate for its current Ground-based Midcourse Defense system is less than 60%, with only 44 interceptors available to defend against one or several missiles.
Guetlein acknowledged that transparency on the program has been limited, citing concerns about revealing too much information in public forums. However, he promised to release more information to the public next year and emphasized the need for dialogue on missile defense.
Guetlein pointed out that if an adversary believes the US can defend itself from destruction, they may be less likely to launch a nuclear attack. This theory is reminiscent of the concept of mutual assured destruction, which was central to the US-Soviet nuclear arms race in the 1950s and 60s. The Pentagon's Golden Dome program aims to achieve this goal by deploying hundreds or thousands of Space-Based Interceptors (SBIs) on satellites in low-Earth orbit.
Critics argue that Golden Dome is too expensive, could destabilize global order, and increase the risk of a nuclear attack. They claim that if an adversary believes the US can protect itself from widespread destruction, they may be more likely to launch a nuclear attack. The Pentagon's success rate for its current Ground-based Midcourse Defense system is less than 60%, with only 44 interceptors available to defend against one or several missiles.
Guetlein acknowledged that transparency on the program has been limited, citing concerns about revealing too much information in public forums. However, he promised to release more information to the public next year and emphasized the need for dialogue on missile defense.
! Like, who wouldn't want a $175 billion shield around the US? It's wild that they're drawing inspiration from Hollywood movies, but I guess it shows how serious they are about protecting the country 
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, shouldn't we be working on improving it?
. Like, what exactly does Golden Dome look like? How many satellites do they plan to deploy? We'll just have to wait and see how all this plays out 
. One thing for sure - I'm gonna be keeping an eye on this one 
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. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm glad we're looking out for our country, but isn't it also true that having all this fancy tech could make people feel even more secure and wanna take risks? Like, what's to stop some country from thinking they can launch a nuke attack because the US is all protected 
. And I'm not trying to be negative or anything, but isn't it also kinda weird that we're taking a page out of Hollywood? I mean, movies are one thing, but real life is way more complicated 
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- all shiny and protective, but also kinda worrying 
. I mean, can we really trust that it'll work better than their old Ground-based Midcourse Defense system? 
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! Can we afford to keep building these fancy missile defense systems when there are more pressing issues, like climate change and healthcare? 
Like, what's next? A movie trailer for the Golden Dome system? 
'In a world where missiles are coming... we need you to defend us!' 
. I mean, $175 billion is insane! And what's with this "nuclear deterrence" idea? It sounds like a bunch of Hollywood BS to me 
. If the US can really defend itself from destruction, why not use that as an excuse to be more aggressive instead? And have you seen the numbers on their Ground-based Midcourse Defense system? Less than 60% success rate? That's not exactly reassuring 
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It's like, we're all just playing this big game of nuclear chicken, and someone's gotta be prepared to take the hit. But at what cost, man? 
I'm all for being prepared and whatnot, but can't we just have a calm conversation about this stuff instead of spending all that cash? 
what's going on is that the US is spending like a gazillion dollars on a super expensive missile shield thingy? it sounds crazy, but apparently it's to stop bad guys from nuking us 
I'm not sure if it's a good idea or not, but I do know that Hollywood movies don't always make great policy 
the guy in charge says that if we're too strong, people will be less likely to attack us, but some people think that's just giving them more reason to nuke us 
I mean, I'm all for being prepared and stuff, but $175 billion is a LOT of cash