Trump announces four new executive orders, including to build ‘Iron Dome’
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By Tips & Tricks News Guide
Former U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to sign an executive order establishing an “Iron Dome” missile defense program.
On Monday at a retreat for Republican lawmakers held at his Trump National Doral Miami golf resort in South Florida, Trump promised to strengthen U.S. military capabilities through executive action later that evening.
“We need a strong defense,” Trump declared from the podium. “In just a little while, I’ll be signing four new executive orders.”
He explained that the first order would “immediately begin construction of a state-of-the-art Iron Dome missile defense shield to protect Americans.”
The next two orders, he stated, would focus on eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and removing “transgender ideology from our military.”
The fourth order, Trump announced, would reinstate service members who were discharged for refusing to comply with COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Between August 2021 and January 2023, approximately 8,000 service members were discharged for this reason.
Trump described the measures as essential to maintaining “the most lethal fighting force in the world.”
A flood of executive orders
Monday’s announcement added to the wave of executive actions Trump has initiated since his return to the White House on January 20.
Officials reported that Trump set a record on his first day back in office by signing 42 executive orders, memoranda, and proclamations.
Many of these initial actions focused on immigration and social issues. Notably, he issued an order to end birthright citizenship, a constitutionally protected right granting citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil.
Some of Trump’s early executive orders overlapped with those announced on Monday.
He had previously called for an end to government DEI programs, accusing them of promoting “illegal and immoral discrimination.” He signed an order declaring that male and female gender identities are “not changeable.”
The latest batch of orders, however, focuses directly on the composition of the U.S. military and its strategic priorities.
Monday’s actions echo Trump’s 2017 “transgender military ban” from his first term, which was later reversed by President Joe Biden in 2021. Approximately 8,000 service members are transgender, though many may hesitate to publicly identify as such.
The new orders coincided with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s first day at the Pentagon. Hegseth, a veteran and former Fox News host, has been outspoken against what he calls a “woke” ideology infiltrating the military and has questioned whether women should serve in combat roles.
As head of the Pentagon, Hegseth has vowed to implement a sweeping overhaul of military leadership and revive a “warrior culture” within the armed forces.
Hegseth’s confirmation came on Friday, with 50 Republican senators voting in favor despite allegations of sexual misconduct and alcoholism that surfaced during the process.
Three Republican senators, including former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, opposed his nomination.
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Trump’s executive order to build an “Iron Dome” fulfills a campaign promise he made to Republican supporters.
The Iron Dome is a U.S.-funded air defense system in Israel designed to detect and intercept incoming rockets. During his 2024 re-election campaign, Trump frequently expressed his ambition to surpass Israel’s system with a more advanced version for the U.S.
In an August interview on the social media platform X, Trump told billionaire Elon Musk that he planned to build “the best Iron Dome in the world.” In July, he also added the Iron Dome proposal to the Republican Party’s official platform.
However, military experts have consistently questioned the necessity and feasibility of such a system for the U.S. Unlike Israel, which is relatively small—comparable to New Jersey—the vast U.S. mainland would make implementing a similar system cost-prohibitive.
Moreover, the Iron Dome in Israel is designed to counter low-power rockets and mortars, which differs significantly from the advanced firepower of potential U.S. adversaries like Russia and China, rendering such a system potentially ineffective.
Observers note that the U.S. already operates established missile defense systems, including the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) program.
The future of Trump’s Iron Dome project remains uncertain, as it will almost certainly require funding from Congress.
“We protect other countries, but we don’t protect ourselves,” Trump said on Monday.
“Now, we have phenomenal technology. Look at Israel—out of 319 rockets, they’ve intercepted nearly all of them. So, I believe the United States deserves the same capability.”
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