Somewhere, Ronald Reagan might be enjoying a nice laugh.
On Monday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for the “immediate” construction of an Iron Dome missile defense system to protect America from hostile outside threats.
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Newly minted Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had hinted that the order was coming down the pike as he headed into his first full day in office.
“The lawful orders of the president of the United States will be executed inside this Defense Department swiftly and without excuse. We will be no better friend to our allies, and no stronger adversary to those who want to test us and try us so,” Hegseth told reporters.
“And today, there are more executive orders coming that we fully support on removing DEI inside the Pentagon, reinstating troops who were pushed out because of [Covid-19] mandates, and an Iron Dome for America,” he added. “This is happening quickly.”
Today marks Pete Hegseth’s first day of work at the Pentagon for the Department of Defense.
“Today, there are more executive orders coming that we fully support. On removing DEI inside the Pentagon, reinstating troops who were pushed out because of COVID mandates. Iron Dome for… pic.twitter.com/dHDwohO496
— Skye (@Skye_1776) January 27, 2025
Later in the evening, speaking at a Republican dinner in Florida, President Trump confirmed those aspirations.
“Pete Hegseth, who’s going to be great, by the way… I think he’s going to be fantastic,” Trump said in remarks to the attendees. “I know him very well. I think he’s going to be fantastic.”
“He’s what we need, to immediately begin the construction of a state-of-the-art Iron Dome missile defense shield, which will be able to protect Americans.”
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Shortly thereafter, the order had been signed, one of a slate of measures designed to bolster America’s defenses.
BREAKING: President Trump announces a slate of NEW Executive Orders
— Direct Defense Secretary to immediately begin the construction of an ‘Iron Dome’ system
— Get transgender ideology OUT of our military
— Stop service members from being indoctrinated with CRT
— Offer… pic.twitter.com/PVPe15M0DG— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) January 27, 2025
The Iron Dome order was signed along with these EOs:
An Iron Dome for America has long been in the works as an official platform in the Republican Party, something they adopted as a policy goal over the summer.
Among 20 promises the GOP vowed to implement was the following: “Prevent World War Three, restore peace in Europe and in the Middle East, and build a great iron dome missile defense shield over our entire country — all made in America.
RNC Platform Committee Adopts Slimmed-Down Party Platform, Eliminates Two Major Points
Perhaps most surprising with Trump’s executive order is the level of ambitiousness as the federal government makes “peace through strength” an official policy goal.
The Iron Dome for America executive order calls on the Secretary of Defense to submit a detailed plan outlining “reference architecture, capabilities-based requirements, and an implementation plan for the next-generation missile defense shield.”
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Among those plans are a requirement to provide “Defense of the United States against ballistic, hypersonic, advanced cruise missiles, and other next-generation aerial attacks from peer, near-peer, and rogue adversaries.”
Moments ago, @realDonaldTrump announced that the military’s getting a makeover. Trump’s building an iron dome around America, soldiers fired for not getting the vaccine are returning with back pay and trans troops are out. The @DeptVetAffairs is cleaning house too, sending 60… pic.twitter.com/nI9d2kxLgL
— Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) January 28, 2025
There are some concerns about implementing a missile defense system championed by a smaller nation in Israel, which has very different geographic factors to consider than those of the United States. Israel is approximately 8,630 square miles, while America is approximately 3,796,742 square miles.
Israel’s Iron Dome is designed to intercept and destroy short-range rockets and artillery shells. Any attack on the U.S. would almost assuredly involve long-range missiles. Not to mention, the costs of constructing such a system of defense would likely be high.
The threat, though, remains. The United States, under President Joe Biden, has fallen behind in preparedness for possible long-range missile strikes from Russia, China, or North Korea. And while critics will no doubt dismiss Trump’s executive order as more whimsy than reality (see Space Force), it’s the kind of outside-the-box thinking this country needs.
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You know who else thought outside the box? President Ronald Reagan.
Reagan was widely mocked for his Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), announced in 1983 and quickly, derisively nicknamed the Star Wars program by Democrats and the media. It turns out that maybe he was just ahead of his time. The initiative would later be scrapped because technologies were decades away from readiness.
Here we are, decades later, when Trump — a Reaganesque figure in his own right — comes along.
Trump referenced Reagan and his interest in a similar system during the Cold War, while making his remarks at the Republican dinner. He recalled how the country “didn’t have the technology” then.
“And now we have phenomenal technology. You see that with Israel,” Trump said. “So I think the United States is entitled to that. And everything will be made right here in the USA 100 percent.”
“We’re going next to ensure that we have the most lethal fighting force in the world,” he concluded.
