Defence profligacy is a prerogative of rich, powerful nations. In 1983, the US embarked on its Strategic Defense Initiative, nicknamed Star Wars after a science-fiction film. Its bizarre cost-benefit equation led to it being binned within a decade.
President Donald Trump has dusted off the idea. Last week, the US Space Force reportedly awarded contracts worth $3.2 billion as part of a $185 billion Golden Dome project that aims to shield America from missile attacks. Space sensors would detect hostile launches to intercept. What kind of interceptors might orbit the planet remains unclear.
The US is bound by the Outer Space Treaty not to put weapons of mass destruction in space, but lesser weaponry may fall in a grey zone. Still, it should make the world sit up. An arms race in space could begin if China follows suit. With luck, Beijing will only be amused at US folly.
America’s landmass is 420 times that of Israel, whose tiny defence dome was found penetrable by Iran’s projectiles. An American AI-aided version may be trumpeted as foolproof, but rationally speaking, the US wouldn’t want this claim tested. That nobody has any motive to attack it will always be Uncle Sam’s best safety bet.