Trump announces ambitious new missile defense plan

President Donald Trump on Thursday announced an ambitious new missile defense plan, which would include a series of sensors in space.

What are the details?

During a speech at the Pentagon, Trump declared his vision for the future of the American missile defense.

"Our goal is simple: to ensure that we can detect and destroy any missile launched against the United States anywhere, any time, any place," he said during the speech.

He said his upcoming budget would "invest in a space-based missile defense layer. It's new technology. It's ultimately going to be a very, very big part of our defense and, obviously, of our offense. The system will be monitored, and we will terminate any missile launches from hostile powers, or even from powers that make a mistake."

Trump laid out a list of what he called "six major changes in missile defense policy":

• Prioritizing American defense;
• Developing new technology;
• Protecting America from "all types of missile attacks";
• Recognizing space as the "new warfighting domain, with the Space Force leading the way";
• Removing "bureaucratic obstacles"; and
• Insisting that U.S. allies bear a "fair" share of defense spending.

"Today marks the beginning of a new era in our missile defense program," Trump said. "For too long, we have been held back by self-imposed limits while foreign competitors grow and they advance more than we have over the years. ... Now that's changing. We're helping and we're able to spend money on technology and new defense, and far beyond defense systems. So those days are history."

Trump said that the military was "very tired" and "depleted" when he took office, but that it was "being rebuilt at a rapid rate and, very shortly, will be more powerful than ever before."

When will this happen?

He did not say when this plan would go into effect, or what the costs involved would be. The government is in its 27th day of a partial shutdown, with the president and Congress unable to agree on a funding deal for border security.

While Trump ordered the Pentagon to come up with a plan in June for the creation of a new branch of the military called the Space Force, the Department of Defense has not yet submitted a plan for funding to Congress.

In a report, the DOD said that such a proposal would be submitted in time to be approved for the 2020 budget. Early estimates put the cost of the Space Force at $13 billion over a five-year period.