US ‘Golden Dome’ free for Canada? But, with ‘conditions apply’ tag, says Trump

US President Donald Trump has revived his pitch to include Canada in the United States of America, with an offer to Canada to join the Golden Dome multi-layered missile defence system albeit with a ‘conditions apply’ tag.

 

On Tuesday, Trump posted on Truth Social that Canada would have to shell out $61 billion if it wants to join the proposed $175-billion Golden Dome project. He, however, said that Canada can do it for free if it agrees to become the 51^st US state.

 

Canada is yet to officially respond to Trump’s ‘offer’.

 

Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney had confirmed earlier that he had talks with Trump about joining the Golden Dome and that there were discussions with senior officials. The former had, however, added that it would not be done at the cost of sovereignty. During his visit to the White House earlier this month, Carney had dismissed Trump's calls for Canada to become part of the US, saying his country was "never for sale".

 

Canada and the US are not only NATO members but also partners in North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the combined organisation that provides shared defence of airspace over the two countries.

 

What is Golden Dome, proposed by the US?

 

Trump had announced the Golden Dome missile programme last week, and had said that it is expected to be fully operational by the end of his term in 2029. It is, however, expected to take longer.

 

The US president had said that the Golden Dome would put US weapons in space for the first time. It is aimed to protect the country from long-range missiles and is believed to be partly inspired by Israel’s multi-layered air-defence systems.

 

As per an AP report, Golden Dome is likely to include ground- and space-based capabilities to detect and counter missiles at “all four major stages of a potential attack: detecting and destroying them before a launch, intercepting them in their earliest stage of flight, stopping them midcourse in the air, or halting them in the final minutes as they descend toward a target”.

World