The United States ruling class claims that it cannot defend against Russian or Chinese hypersonic missiles and is seeking funding to rectify the issue. Senior Pentagon officials called on lawmakers for funding for the proposed Golden Dome missile defense program.

The Golden Dome system is expected to cost around $175 billion over the next decade, according to initial estimates by the Trump administration, although Pentagon projections have since risen to roughly $185 billion, and some analysts warn the final price could be substantially higher, according to a report by RT. 

The ruling class has been asking questions about Washington’s missile defense capacity since the beginning of the US-Israeli war on Iran. Some reports suggest that interceptor stockpiles used in systems such as THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) and Patriot have been significantly depleted, potentially requiring years to rebuild.

The U.S. started depleting its weapons stockpiles when it began helping Ukraine with its war.

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It isn’t just depletion either. The upgrade to U.S. defense systems is urgently needed, as the country has “a very limited ground-based single-layer homeland defense system that was specifically designed against a small-scale rogue attack,” Assistant Secretary of War for Space Policy Marc Berkowitz said at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Monday.

The country would face serious issues against ballistic missiles and has “no defense against hypersonic weapons or cruise missiles today,” he stressed.

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Michael Guetlein, who leads the Golden Dome program within the US Space Force, testified that both China and Russia are continuing to modernize and expand their missile arsenals, accoridng to a report by RT.  He pointed specifically to hypersonic missiles, those capable of maneuvering at high speeds within the atmosphere after launch

These systems, Guetlein said, are “designed to challenge the tracking and engagement capabilities of our sensors” and ensure a “responsive and survivable strike capability.”