Defense industry leader Anduril's CEO, Palmer Luckey, envisions a future for U.S. security reminiscent of "Star Trek."
Title: Palmer Luckey's Excited Spin on Trump's Golden Dome: "Star Trek" Level Defense
In an energetic discussion on "Mornings with Maria," Anduril Industries founder Palmer Luckey sounded like he was ready to boldly go where no one has gone before – America's defense future.
Donning his casual Hawaiian shirt, Luckey couldn't hide his enthusiasm for the partnership with Meta and the technological advancements that could revolutionize border security and military space capabilities.
The Star Trek fan was particularly anticipating President Trump's Golden Dome project. This missile defense system, he claimed, would not only protect the homeland from an array of threats but do so more cost-effectively than its critics believe.
"I think it's encouraged spending on new national security priorities," Luckey declared, adding, "That's where we need to be looking forward to. And I think it is going to look pretty 'Star Trek.'"
The incredible significance of Golden Dome lies in its potential to render earlier Reagan-era defense projects, like the Star Wars Defense Initiative, feasible. This evolutionary leap, according to Luckey, was made possible by breakthroughs in technology.
"A lot of what you're seeing with Golden Dome goes back to the Reagan era with trying to build the Star Wars Defense Initiative type of technologies," he explained. "The technology makes it much more feasible than it was decades ago."
It is not just the government that is increasing its investments in defense technology. Luckey observed a surge in private sector investments too.
The Congressional Budget Office has provided estimates for various implementations of space-based interceptors, with the lowest-cost approach coming in at around $161 billion, while the highest-cost approach could reach $542 billion. Nevertheless, Luckey doubted the Golden Dome's price tag would be as steep as suggested by the critics.
"I don't think that the Golden Dome is going to be as expensive as people think that it is," he countered.
In the years ahead, Luckey believes the Republican Party must have a clear vision for America's space-based military capabilities. The emphasis should not be on today or next year, but on the future – decades and centuries from now.
"We need to protect freedom of navigation in space, freedom of communication in space," Luckey asserted, "More or less doing exactly what the United States Navy does on Earth, but in a growing space economy."
Sources:
- Trump's Golden Dome missile-defense system could have a lower cost than rivals, investors say
- How Real Is Trump's 'Space Force'? The Real Future of Missile Defense
- The U.S. Government’s Huge, Expensive and Contentious Plan to Shoot Down Missiles with Lasers
- Trump's Space Force: What Is It, and What Does It Mean for National Defense?
- The technology advancements Luckey is excited about in partnership with Meta could potentially revolutionize not only border security and military space capabilities, but also the future economy, as the emphasis should be on the development of space-based military capabilities for decades and centuries to come.
- Despite the estimated costs of space-based interceptors provided by the Congressional Budget Office, which range from $161 billion to $542 billion, Palmer Luckey remains confident that the Golden Dome missile defense system, with its potential to make earlier defense projects like the Star Wars Defense Initiative feasible due to breakthroughs in technology, will not be as expensive as some critics suggest, thus encouraging funding for this innovative approach in the growing space-and-astronomy sector.
