The 12-Day War between Israel and Iran illustrated the necessity and weaknesses of modern missile defense systems, and one expert believes that President Donald Trump‘s “Golden Dome” project could be the United States’s ace in the hole.

William R. Forstchen is an author and professor of history at Montreat College in North Carolina. Among his areas of expertise are threats posed by electromagnetic pulse weapons, a type of weapon that could grind the U.S. to a halt.

Recommended Stories

• As prospects for ceasefire fade, war in Ukraine could continue into next year
• Hegseth announces Baltic states will meet NATO 5% spending commitment
• US grants Poland $4 billion loan for military equipment

“It is created by taking a small nuclear weapon, 40 to 60 kilotons, about four times the size of the Hiroshima bomb, launched above the United States, 200 miles out into space. When the weapon detonates out there, it sets up an electrostatic and gamma ray burst called the Compton Effect that cascades down to the Earth’s surface,” he explained, as the Earth functions as a giant magnet pulling the energy in.

The energy burst “feeds into the electrical system, to the high tension lines and power stations, and starts blowing everything offline.”

Just three EMP weapons detonated 200 miles over the Eastern, Central, and Western U.S. would be enough to wipe out the U.S. energy grid. Department of Energy estimates calculated that even five years after such an event, 80% of the U.S. electrical grid would still be offline.

Though the physical effects of the blast wouldn’t be felt, electronics all across the country would stop working within seconds. While causing inconvenience for everyone, it would also prove deadly for tens of thousands.

“Something that will be hit almost immediately will be airlines. It’s about 2000 planes in the air at any given time during the day. If only 10% of them have computer failures that make them inoperable … they just become flying bricks. That’s 200 planes in the first minutes. Each plane with 100 to 200 people on board — it’s the beginning of a major disaster,” Forstchen explained, adding that the true total would be closer to 100%, as all modern airlines run on computers.

“It is a catastrophic event for this country if it ever happens,” he said.

EMPs are of particular concern because they’re impervious to most missile defense systems due to their detonation so far up into the atmosphere. Trump’s Golden Dome project could change this, Forstchen argued, saying it was why he’s a “rabid” supporter of it.

“Golden Dome is Iron Dome on steroids. It’s designed not to knock missiles down from five or 10 miles away … but to knock them down 1000s of miles out in space before they get to the continental United States. That’s the key thing – you have to hit them before they get over the United States, where they can detonate,” he said. “So Golden Dome is an absolute must for the future of our country.”

He compared the Golden Dome to an insurance policy for the continuation of the U.S., saying it was “absolutely necessary” for national security.

Trump’s Golden Dome would evolve over time, beginning with standard, long-range missile interceptors, and then later supplemented with direct energy weapons in space. From the start, the project was compared with former President Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative, a proposed missile defense system that terrified the Soviets but ultimately proved too impractical.

Forstchen said the comparisons are fully justified, with the difference that the U.S. now has the technology to complete the project, something it didn’t have 40 years ago.

He said the Golden Dome will probably consist of three main batteries: one on the Alaskan coast, one along the Gulf of Mexico, and one in the eastern U.S.

Forstchen argued that the biggest threat the U.S. needs protection from isn’t its two foremost nuclear rivals, Russia and China, as the concept of mutually assured destruction effectively ensures protection. Instead, EMP blasts or rogue missile launches from North Korea or another “rogue state” are the primary concern. Iran, though effectively neutralized for now, could add to the list of threats in the future.

Though an EMP weapon is impossible for most missile defense systems to intercept, it wouldn’t be a problem for Golden Dome, Forstchen argued. The missile would take 20 to 30 minutes to reach its destination, which is plenty of time for Golden Dome to intercept it well away from the continental U.S.

The foremost criticisms of the Golden Dome come from abroad, particularly U.S. nuclear adversaries.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning expressed her country’s concerns during a May press conference, saying the “unconstrained, global, multilayer and multidomain missile defense system” will “expand the U.S. arsenal of means for combat operations in outer space, including R&D and deployment of orbital interception systems.”

“That gives the project a strong offensive nature and violates the principle of peaceful use in the Outer Space Treaty. The project will heighten the risk of turning the space into a war zone and creating a space arms race, and shake the international security and arms control system,” she added, according to a transcript from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Forstchen waved off these concerns, rhetorically asking, “Am I going to take the advice of my enemies?” He drew parallels between today’s arguments and the fears of the Soviet Union over SDI in the 1980s.

“Am I really going to take the advice of China and Russia, and not build something? I don’t think so,” he said.

The other main objection, which is largely domestic, is cost.

Trump estimated the Golden Dome project to cost $175 billion, with a $25 billion down payment. A recent Congressional Budget Office estimate put the total cost of deploying and operating a constellation of space-based interceptors for 20 years at anywhere from $161 billion to $831 billion.

Forstchen believes the Golden Dome is well worth the cost.

CHINA WARNS TRUMP GOLDEN DOME COULD TURN ‘OUTER SPACE INTO A BATTLEFIELD’

“The cost of this system is minuscule compared to what we’ve wasted money on in the past, and this is spread out over 10 to 15 years of spending,” he argued.

While Forstchen clarified he doesn’t have access to classified information or a security clearance, Golden Dome has been greeted with open arms by many within his circles. The project looks well within the U.S.’s capabilities.