Trump first revealed his concept for the Golden Dome during a joint address to Congress in March, when he said that "Israel has it, other places have it, and the United States should have it too". The president was referring to Israel's "Iron Dome" system, which the country has used to intercept rockets and missiles since 2011.

The president would need to rely on Ottawa to track Chinese and Russian missiles that could come at the U.S. from over the horizon.