Trump's 'next-generation' missile defense plan gains momentum as US faces foreign threats

House Republicans have formed their own Golden Dome Caucus as President Donald Trump continues to push for a nationwide missile defense system.

Rep. Jeff Crank, R-Colo., and Rep. Dale Strong, R-Ala., launched the caucus to be an "educational clearinghouse" as the policy effort for the dome kicks off.

"Golden Dome will only be successful if we meet President Trump's timeline," Crank said in a statement Tuesday. "This means that is imperative that we, members and stakeholders, are well informed and working together to revolutionize missile defense of our great nation."

According to a news release, it will work with the Senate Golden Dome Caucus founded last month by Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont.

"President Trump has artfully highlighted the critical need for a next-generation missile defense shield to protect the U.S. against ballistic, hypersonic, advanced cruise missiles and other aerial attacks. With nuclear-capable adversaries across the globe, we can't afford for this vision to not become a reality," Strong said. 

"North Alabama has played a role in every former and current U.S. missile defense program and stands ready once again to meet this urgent need."

Trump signed an executive order in January ordering the project but formally announced the effort in May, which was partly inspired by Israel's Iron Dome.

"Golden Dome is designed to leverage some past investments but will also use next-generation technology to defend against the evolving and complex threat landscape," 

President Ronald Reagan proposed a similar program, known as the Strategic Defense Imitative, in 1983. The dome has a starting projected cost of $175 billion, and $25 billion is allocated through the proposed reconciliation bill in Congress, but some estimates show a higher figure.

"The project will heighten the risk of turning space into a war zone and creating a space arms race and shake the international security and arms control system," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said last month.