Trump’s golden dome raises major questions: Can it be built? Should it be built? What is the role of Canada?

Photo of author

By [email protected]


US President Donald Trump The proposed golden missile defense systemAnd, which Canada expressed interest in joining, raises questions about the cost of the project and its items as well as concerns about the space -based arms race.

The Trump plan is designed similar to the iron dome that protects Israel – a smaller land block than Vancouver – and aims to be more powerful and hundreds of times larger.

The Iron Dome was mainly built to defend against low -air threats such as short -range missiles, mortars and shells, while Trump and other senior American officials say The proposed golden dome will prevent the missiles launched from other countries and from space, and together the current technologies with the future technology that still needs to be developed.

Alexeer Edgar, a professor of political science at Wilfred Loriere University in Waterlou, Onton, says Trump is talking about the space detection and objection that will lead to more weapons in space.

“The opponents who do not like this idea can put their weapons in space to destroy the satellites that we will use to detect,” he said, noting that this opens the possibility of space -based arms races.

“And at the present time, no one is supposed to have an area of ​​weapons. Some people sneak some things there, and we condemn them when they do.”

Watch | Carney talks about the potential role of Canada:

Carney says Canada says, “Looking at” participating in the American Golden Dome

In response to a correspondent question on Wednesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney said that “he will not put a price in the United States project to build a multi -purpose missile shield known as the Golden Dome, which Ottawa confirmed to speak to the United States. Speaking at the press conference on Parliament Hill, Carney said the missiles pose a serious threat to Canada.

China, Russia expresses its fears

The United States, Russia and China have the most developed military space, but many other countries are developing their space weapons, according to The last report from the Security World FoundationA non -profit institution devoted to promoting peaceful and sustainable uses of the external space.

If the dome is built, Edgar says that any country you do not like will do its best to design systems to confront it.

He says that this can negate the deterrent “mutual guaranteed destruction”, which is the idea that nuclear weapons countries refrain from using them on each other because they know that their opponents can respond to the quality.

“Does China have to invest in its own version, as well as in technologies to attack the regulations that the United States will publish?” He asked. “There is a complete chaos of things that enter.”

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Wednesday that China was “Dangerous anxiety” About the Golden Dome’s proposal and urged Washington to abandon it, adding that it carries “strong offensive effects” and increased the risk of militarization in the outer space and the arms race.

A Kremlin spokesman said that such a program could force the talks between Moscow and Washington About control of nuclear weapons In the foreseeable future.


When asked about the project on Wednesday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that the participation had been discussed at a high level with American officials and will be evaluated.

He said that the missile defense, including missiles that “in the non -far -long future, can come from space”, threatens the Canadian government is seriously occupied.

“We realize that we have the ability, if we choose that, to complete the golden dome with investments and partnership, and this is something we are looking for.”

Can it be built?

Experts who spoke with CBC News says that Trump’s timetable for three years for construction and $ 175 billion is unrealistic, as Edgar indicates that the timetable for 20 years may be more feasible, as the costs are likely to reach $ 1 trillion.

The Congress Budget Office also estimates the project It can cost hundreds of other billions From the American number of $ 175 billion and took 20 years to develop.

“We are speaking something very future and very expensive, and something has never been done in the huge size and technical experience that will participate in such a system,” former Canadian Defense Minister Peter Macai told CBC. Power and politics.

Watch | The former Minister of Defense discusses the Golden Dome proposal:

Should Canada join Trump’s “golden dome”?

While Ottawa confirms its interest in joining the “Golden Dome” program, “Golden Dome”, he hears power and politics from former Defense Secretary Peter Macai about what Canada’s contribution can appear, and whether it is worth the effort.

Patikja Bazilsic, director of the program and a researcher participated in the missile defense project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC, said that obtaining a built will require budget approvals on multiple presidential conditions.

She said: “This really depends on making this an issue of the two parties, in order to maintain a kind of momentum and financing on multiple departments, and give priority to defending the homeland.”

Beth Fischer, a professor at the Woodsworth College at the University of Toronto, who writes about the US defense policy, says it is difficult to assess the feasibility of the project that uses technologies that have not yet existed.

She says former US President Ronald Reagan faced similar questions and criticism when he suggested the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) in 1983, called “Star Wars”.

SDI depicts the focus on a constellation of strong missiles and laser weapons in a low -Earth orbit that can intercept a ballistic nuclear missile launched from anywhere on the ground.

But the idea has not been given its fruits mainly due to technological obstacles, high costs and fears, as it will violate an anti -Paltik missile treaty that has been abandoned since then.

“At that time, he was criticized because technology was not present, and it took a long time to develop,” Fischer said.

“We have the same fears exactly this time.”

What is the bullish trend of Canada?

However, Fischer does not reject the value of the proposal, saying that Canada should consider its long -term security, especially with the increasingly appearing of the Arctic with the progress of climate change.

It says it is also important to think about protecting the satellites that we rely on for daily life, and it has proven at least four countries-the United States, Russia, China and India-that they have the ability to photograph satellites.

Exactly how much Canada protects the golden dome, what is the role of the country if it joins the amount of what it will pay, it is still open.

Listen Is it time for Canada to strengthen missile defense?

As it happens1:19:03Is joining the American missile defense system is the right call?


Canada is already tracked North America via NORAD and nourishes this data in the American missile defense program.

But Canada has not officially joined the American National missile defense program in the first decade of the twentieth century, which means that the Canadians cannot participate in any possible decisions about the time of launching a blow against a possibility.

Fisher suspected that Trump may have played the idea of ​​pushing Canada “fair share” in the press to calm concerns about the cost of the project.

She says that Canada’s possible participation can lead to a possible economic benefit from research and development, but she notes that the cross may not be large, and will depend on the size of the role that the country plays.

“If we deal with young partners, we may not work on the most innovative or most famous techniques,” she said.


Canada chose SDI in Reagan in the 1980s, but Fischer says that the countries that participated, such as the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy, have not been rewarded for a big tour.

“I would like to say now, most of those countries that she participated will say that they were not really able to influence decisions to us to the extent that they were hoping. And I say that the technological offer was not as strong as they were hoping,”.



https://i.cbc.ca/1.7541699.1747957222!/cpImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_1180/trump-golden-dome.jpg?im=Resize%3D620

Source link

Leave a Comment