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Guetlein likely to lead Golden Dome project, officials say

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Missile defense system faces funding uncertainty

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Democrats call for probe into Musk's role in bidding

process

(Recasts paragraph 1, updates with background and criticism,

paragraphs 4-11)

By Mike Stone

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump is

expected to announce the path forward and the leader of his

ambitious Golden Dome missile defense shield on Tuesday, two

U.S. officials said.

The vice chief of space operations, United States Space

Force General Michael Guetlein, is expected to be in the Oval

Office this afternoon where the officials, who declined to be

identified, said that it was likely he will be named as the lead

program manager on the multibillion-dollar project widely viewed

as the keystone to Trump's military planning.

Trump plans to make a 3 p.m. ET (1900 GMT) announcement with

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, the White House said in an

update to the president's schedule.

The Golden Dome missile defense shield, first ordered by

Trump in January, aims to create a network of satellites to

detect, track and potentially intercept incoming missiles. The

shield could deploy hundreds of satellites for missile detection

and tracking.

Golden Dome is estimated to cost tens of billions of dollars

and take years to implement, as the controversial program faces

both political scrutiny and funding uncertainty.

Democratic lawmakers have voiced concern about the

procurement process and the involvement of Trump ally Elon

Musk's SpaceX, which has emerged as a frontrunner alongside

Palantir ( PLTR ) and Anduril to build key components of the

system.

The Golden Dome idea was inspired by Israel's land-based

Iron Dome defense shield that protects it from missiles and

rockets. Trump's Golden Dome is much more extensive and includes

a massive array of surveillance satellites and a separate fleet

of attacking satellites that would shoot down offensive missiles

soon after lift-off.

The project's funding remains uncertain. Republican

lawmakers have proposed a $25 billion initial investment for

Golden Dome as part of a broader $150 billion defense package,

but this funding is tied to a contentious reconciliation bill

that faces significant hurdles in Congress.

"Unless reconciliation passes, the funds for Golden Dome may

not materialize," said an industry executive following the

program. "This puts the entire project timeline in jeopardy."

The SpaceX-led consortium has proposed an unusual

"subscription service" model for their portion of the system,

where the government would pay for access to the technology

rather than own it outright. This approach has raised concerns

among some Pentagon officials about long-term costs and control.

A group of 42 Democratic lawmakers led by Senator Elizabeth

Warren and Representative Greg Casar has called for an

investigation into Musk's role in the bidding process, citing

his position as a special adviser to Trump and his substantial

campaign donations exceeding $250 million.