Recently, President Donald Trump fulfilled another campaign promise by ordering the Defense Department to develop a plan for what he calls an “Iron Dome for America,” named after the wildly successful Israeli missile defense system.

Whereas the Israeli Iron Dome deals with short-range missiles and is part of a three-tier system that also includes David’s Sling and the Arrow, the American version will deal with far deadlier threats. The proposal more resembles the multi-tiered defense system envisioned by the Reagan-era Strategic Defense Initiative, popularly known as Star Wars.

The space-based element is described in section three of the executive order, which calls for "acceleration of the deployment of the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor layer" and "development and deployment of proliferated space-based interceptors capable of boost-phase intercept."

The executive order also heavily implies that beam weapons such as lasers will be included when it references “development and deployment of non-kinetic capabilities to augment the kinetic defeat of ballistic, hypersonic, advanced cruise missiles, and other next-generation aerial attacks.”

The desirability of possessing a missile shield has become as great........

© The Hill