Trump unveils 'Iron Dome' defense plan with military shake-up
President Donald Trump signed an executive order for the construction of the "Iron Dome" missile defence system in the USA. The new missile defence system is expected to resemble Ronald Reagan's initiative known as "Star Wars".
Trump signed three new decrees related to military affairs during a flight on Air Force One from Florida to Washington, D.C. The first one pertains to the new missile defence system.
As suggested several hours earlier during his appearance before Republican congressmen in Miami, the new missile defence system is expected to resemble Ronald Reagan's initiative known as "Star Wars", which involved using lasers to intercept missiles in space. Trump stated that Reagan's project failed due to insufficiently advanced technology, but added that "now we have phenomenal technology".
The new shield is to be called the "Iron Dome", but it will be different from the U.S.-Israeli short-range air defence system of the same name. The system is intended to protect against "ballistic, hypersonic, and advanced cruise missiles, as well as other new-generation aerial attacks". The timeline for building such a shield and how it will differ from the existing layered system protecting American skies is not clear.
Anti-vaxxers to return to the military
Alongside the "Iron Dome", Trump also signed decrees banning military service for transgender individuals, addressing the "extreme left-wing indoctrination" of the military, and reinstating soldiers discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.
As announced by the new Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, these soldiers are to be reinstated to their previous ranks and receive back pay. The COVID-19 vaccination mandate was lifted in 2023, and as noted by the AP agency, only 43 of the 8,000 discharged soldiers returned to service then.
All programmes promoting diversity and inclusion (DEI - Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) are also to be eliminated, which according to the White House, constitute discrimination.
