Donald Trump’s Shocking Missile Plan Reveals the UK’s Alarming Weak Spot in National Defence

Donald Trump is reportedly planning a massive new defence system for the U.S. called the “Golden Dome.” If this plan goes ahead, it would be designed to detect and destroy missiles fired by enemies anywhere in the world. The system could be ready by 2026 and might cost hundreds of billions of dollars.

The name is inspired by Israel’s “Iron Dome,” which is a powerful air defence system made of three main parts. First, it has long-range systems called Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 to intercept threats far away, even outside Earth’s atmosphere. Second is a mid-range system called David’s Sling, used for missiles coming from 100 to 200 kilometers away. And third is the short-range “Iron Dome” itself, which stops rockets fired by groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.

The U.S. version would be much bigger and more advanced. Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX, is said to be working with Palantir (a software company) and Anduril (a drone maker) to build it. Their plan involves launching over 1,000 satellites that can detect and track missiles. Then, about 200 special satellites would carry weapons like lasers or guided missiles to destroy any threat. The system is being called a “sense and shoot” defence.

Although it’s still in the early stages, the Pentagon believes parts of this Golden Dome could be ready by next year, and the rest might be finished by 2030. It’s a bold and expensive project, but it could work.

This raises a big question for the UK: should Britain build its own version to protect itself? Right now, the UK doesn’t have anything close to Israel’s defence system, let alone what the U.S. is planning.

Yes, one Royal Navy ship, HMS Diamond, did shoot down a missile in the Red Sea recently, but that was a rare event. The rest of the Navy’s ships still need upgrades to defend against similar threats. And we don’t yet know if the UK government will have enough money for such upgrades, as we’re still waiting for the next defence budget review.

Even though there isn’t a big missile threat to the UK at the moment, military experts say you can’t wait for a war to start preparing. Britain’s overseas bases – like those in Cyprus (Akrotiri and Dhekelia) – are important for military and intelligence operations, but they have no permanent missile defence systems. These bases are within missile range from Iran or groups linked to Iran.

Other British-held locations like Gibraltar, the Falklands, Diego Garcia, and Brunei are also vulnerable to missile attacks from submarines or aircraft, and none of them are protected either.

And what about the UK mainland? London, the capital, and Faslane in Scotland – where the UK’s nuclear submarines are kept – also have no strong missile defences. In theory, a warship could be placed in the Thames or near Faslane for protection, but the UK only has six of those ships, and they’re already needed elsewhere.

All of this makes Britain seem unprepared if a serious missile threat ever came. Some people are calling for action, but the big question remains: what should be done, and how can it be paid for? The defence budget is already under pressure.

So, will Britain build its own version of the Golden Dome? Probably not anytime soon. But until something is done, the UK and its key interests remain exposed to missile threats—and other countries have likely noticed that.