Donald Trump addressed the joint session of Congress on Tuesday (March 4) where the US president mentioned his administration’s ambitious national missile defence initiative that has reportedly been titled "Golden Dome for America". Notably, an advisory sent to defence contractors recently states that Trump has renamed it from "Iron Dome for America" to "Golden Dome for America".

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"Please note the Department of Defense has renamed this program from ‘Iron Dome for America’ to ‘Golden Dome for America,'" the US Missile Defense Agency's advisory to contractors dated Feb 24 read, Space News reported.

A defence official confirmed that the name change was approved by the White House, the publication reported.

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Earlier, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth let the name slip once while discussing programmes protected from potential budget cuts.

Talking about them, he referred to the system as the "Golden Dome, or Iron Dome" in a video.

Why was Iron Dome renamed Golden Dome?

Trademark issues with the name "Iron Dome" might be the reason why the Trump administration decided to rename it "Golden Dome".

Defense News reported that "Iron Dome" is a registered trademark owned by Israeli defence firm Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.

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It is behind the development of Israel’s Iron Dome system in partnership with Israel Aerospace Industries and the US Missile Defense Agency.

This might be a possible reason for the name change, the publication reported.

What is the Golden Dome missile system?

The missile system originates from Trump’s January 27 executive order where he called for the planning of what he called “The Iron Dome for America.”

It would act as a next-generation multi-layered shield that will protect the entire US territory against threats from "ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles."

It has been inspired by Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system but will operate on a much larger scale.

The Air Force will reportedly shoot down enemy bombers before missiles are fired at the United States, according to a senior officer.

Space-based sensors will make up for critical components. As per the executive order, the Department of Defense has been directed to explore how the potential deployment of space-based interceptors can help in the system and launch in response to an attack.

Because of this reason, the Space Force is likely to play a crucial role in setting up the architecture of the Golden Dome. The publication Defenses Scoop reported that the service has already established a cross-functional "technical integrated planning team".