Guetlein Disputes CBO's $1.2 Trillion Golden Dome Cost Estimate

General Michael Guetlein, the Pentagon’s lead for the Golden Dome missile defense initiative, has strongly rejected the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) projection that the program could cost up to $1.2 trillion over two decades. Speaking at the Inside the Dome conference, Guetlein argued that the CBO’s assessment relies on outdated data and incorrect assumptions regarding the system's architecture. He contended that the budget office used legacy technology models from the early 2000s, which were designed for point defense in overseas conflicts rather than comprehensive homeland protection. In contrast, Guetlein maintained his previous estimate of approximately $185 billion, asserting that modern technological advancements, particularly in space-based interceptors (SBIs), significantly reduce costs. While acknowledging that an end-to-end SBI system has not yet been proven affordable at scale, he emphasized that the underlying physics are sound. The general described the current challenge as one of economics, scalability, and organizational integration rather than technical feasibility. He reiterated that the Department of Defense aims to deploy an operational system capable of defending the entire US homeland by 2028, provided that cost-effective solutions can be demonstrated.