SOFREP Morning Brief: Trump Unveils $175B Defense Plan

Hello and Good morning! Start your Wednesday with SOFREP’s morning brief, delivering the latest updates on defense and global affairs for May 21, 2025. Trump launched a $175 billion “Golden Dome” missile shield with space weapons. US Coast Guard cuts 25% of flag officers, plans major overhaul, while US Army ends short-term extensions, tightens reenlistment. Iran nuclear talks stall with no backup plan. Syria gave Israel a spy archive to ease tensions. NATO picks Bodo, Norway, for Arctic air HQ. North Korean defectors urge UN to charge Kim Jong Un for abuses.

—

Trump Unveils $175 Billion “Golden Dome” Missile Defense Plan with Space-Based Interceptors

President Donald Trump announced a sweeping new missile defense initiative Tuesday, dubbed the “Golden Dome,” which would include space-based interceptors capable of stopping missiles launched from Earth or space.

The $175 billion program, still in its conceptual stage, is the first US missile defense system to explicitly include weapons placed in orbit.

Trump said he expects initial capabilities to be operational before his term ends in 2029. General Michael Guetlein, Vice Chief of Space Operations, will oversee the program.

Golden Dome is designed as a multilayered system capable of intercepting threats at all four stages of flight — pre-launch, boost phase, midcourse, and terminal descent.

The Pentagon is still finalizing the system’s operational requirements, and funding depends on congressional approval.

Trump has requested an initial $25 billion for the project through a proposed tax break bill. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the space-based component alone could cost up to $542 billion over two decades.

President Trump announced the Golden Dome missile defense shield to protect the homeland from advanced missile threats.

Included in the One, Big, Beautiful Bill, this project aims to ensure American security. Congress must pass the bill and send it to the President’s desk. pic.twitter.com/U0gwZ9DNnV

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 21, 2025

The plan aims to counter advanced missile threats from China and Russia.

US Space Force Chief General Chance Saltzman said the space-based interceptors represent a mission never before undertaken by US military space forces.

China and Russia condemned the project as destabilizing and warned it would militarize outer space. Trump said he has not yet discussed the plan with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Despite the fanfare, the Golden Dome remains in early development, with key documents and capability assessments still pending. Existing missile defense assets like Patriot batteries and satellite networks are expected to be integrated into the new system.

US Coast Guard to Cut 25% of Flag Officers in Major Restructure

The US Coast Guard will eliminate one-quarter of its 46 flag officer positions over the next seven months as part of a sweeping force redesign, Acting Commandant Admiral Kevin Lunday announced Wednesday.

The move follows Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s assessment that redundant leadership roles hinder service efficiency and decision-making.

The cuts align with a broader Pentagon directive from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to reduce general and flag officer positions across military branches by 10%, including a 20% cut to four-star roles. After the Coast Guard’s reductions, the ratio of flag officers to personnel will drop from one per 950 members to one per 1,300.

Lunday also confirmed Noem’s decision to withhold approval of the latest rear admiral selection board results, citing misalignment with the Trump administration’s policies. Six captains previously slated for promotion must now reapply under new criteria. This comes amid Trump’s executive order eliminating federal affirmative action programs, which contributed to the dismissal of former Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan over her emphasis on diversity.

Noem, calling this the Coast Guard’s most significant reform since 1915, outlined plans to expand the workforce by 15,000, address critical maintenance backlogs, and modernize the aging aircraft fleet. Her budget proposal includes a controversial $50 million long-range command and control jet to replace the aging Gulfstream used by senior leadership.

“The change I’m asking of you — Force Design 2028, our roadmap for change — is the biggest change since 1915,” Noem said during the recent annual Strategic Studies and Development Program (SSDP) for Coast Guard flag officers and SES leaders.

“You can respond to any kind of situation; it’s incredible. You are not just in the Great Lakes and shorelines; you are all over the world,” she added. “I will make sure you are right-sized to meet the requirements of your missions.”

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has warned that most Coast Guard aircraft are past or near the end of their service lives. Noem defended the purchase as necessary, emphasizing the broader readiness crisis the service faces — its worst since World War II, she said.

US Army Ends Short-Term Enlistment Extensions, Tightens Reenlistment Rules

The US Army will end its short-term enlistment extension program on June 1, eliminating a popular option that allowed soldiers to extend service by as little as one month and up to 23 months.

The change forces troops to commit to longer service contracts and removes flexibility for those nearing separation or unsure about reenlistment.

Soldiers currently deployed will still be eligible for short-term extensions. At the same time, the Army plans to reinstate its 90-day reenlistment window in July, requiring troops to commit to new contracts no later than 90 days before the end of their current term.

The shift comes as Army planners push for a “leaner” force and consider cutting 20,000 to 90,000 active-duty personnel from the current 450,000. While the Army has struggled with recruiting, it consistently exceeds retention goals, surpassing its 2024 target of 14,800 reenlistments by 800 as of April.

Internal memos highlight concerns about over-retention and stress a need for more precise end-strength management. The end of short-term extensions follows a recent move that gave soldiers less than a week to reenlist and secure bonuses or preferred assignments — often with little warning for those in training or schools.

The Army has not publicly explained the reasoning behind these changes.

Iran Lacks Clear Backup Plan as Nuclear Talks Falter Amid US Pressure

As US-Iran nuclear talks stall, Iranian sources say Tehran’s clerical leadership has no solid fallback strategy if negotiations collapse. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday rejected Washington’s demands to halt uranium enrichment, calling them “outrageous,” and warned that the talks are unlikely to succeed.

With core disagreements unresolved—including Iran’s refusal to ship out its enriched uranium or limit its ballistic missile program—the Islamic Republic is eyeing deeper ties with China and Russia as a “Plan B.” However, both allies face their own constraints, with Beijing locked in a trade war and Moscow mired in Ukraine.

President Donald Trump’s revival of the “maximum pressure” campaign has intensified sanctions and military threats, leaving Iran economically battered and politically vulnerable.

Iranian officials acknowledge that without sanctions relief, especially to resume oil exports and access frozen funds, the economy cannot recover—raising the risk of renewed domestic unrest.

Iran waits for ‘no one’s permission’ for enrichment; US must stop talking nonsense: Leader

Read more: https://t.co/BWBWnkSona pic.twitter.com/kpAZHvn3Qt

— Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) May 20, 2025

The Biden-era 2015 nuclear deal remains a sticking point, with Tehran demanding firm guarantees the US won’t exit any new accord as Trump did in 2018. Meanwhile, Europe is signaling impatience. France, Germany, and the United Kingdom may trigger a United Nations sanctions “snapback” by August if no deal emerges, ahead of an October 18 deadline under the 2015 resolution.

Experts warned that failure could lead to escalation and even war, though both Washington and Tehran aim to avoid such a scenario.

With the clock ticking and geopolitical tensions rising, any hope for progress may rest on a temporary framework agreement similar to the one brokered in 2013.

Syria Handed Over Eli Cohen Archive to Israel in Bid to Ease Tensions, Court US Support

Syria’s new leadership under President Ahmed al-Sharaa approved the transfer of the personal archive of Israeli spy Eli Cohen to Israel as a goodwill gesture aimed at reducing Israeli hostility and gaining favor with US President Donald Trump, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

Israel announced the recovery of Cohen’s documents, photos, and possessions on Sunday, crediting a Mossad operation with an unnamed foreign intelligence partner. However, Syrian and regional sources confirmed the archive was voluntarily handed over by Sharaa’s government after rebels seized it during the December ousting of Bashar al-Assad.

Cohen, hanged in Damascus in 1965, is considered a national hero in Israel for infiltrating Syria’s elite and aiding Israeli military strategy ahead of the 1967 war.

Israel has long sought the return of his remains, and the recovered archive—held for 60 years by Syrian intelligence—is being treated as a major moral victory by Israeli leadership.

Mossad’s covert operation in Syria uncovered 2,500 documents, photos, and personal items of Israel’s legendary spy, Eli Cohen. Soon, they will be on display in a museum.
– @MarinaMedvin pic.twitter.com/rf2t01JYjs

— Imtiaz Mahmood (@ImtiazMadmood) May 18, 2025

Sharaa reportedly used the Cohen archive as part of broader confidence-building efforts that include returning the remains of Israeli soldiers killed in Lebanon. These moves come as Sharaa pushes to end Israeli airstrikes, rebuild Syria after years of war, and improve ties with the West.

Trump, who met with Sharaa last week in Saudi Arabia, pledged to lift sanctions and encouraged normalization with Israel.

Talks between Israel and Syria are ongoing via backchannels, including one facilitated by the United Arab Emirates, as both sides explore steps to reduce tensions and re-engage diplomatically.

Norway Selects Bodo as Permanent Site for NATO Arctic Air Command Center

Norway announced Tuesday that the Arctic town of Bodo (Bodø) will host NATO’s new Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC), strengthening the alliance’s northern presence amid rising Russian military activity in the region.

The center will coordinate air surveillance and oversee NATO air operations in the Arctic.

The decision follows a NATO ministerial agreement in February to establish a third European CAOC, adding to existing centers in Germany and Spain.

NATO’s new air operations center is established permanently in Bodø –⁠ A historic day, says the mayor.https://t.co/N18lQQ0a44 pic.twitter.com/alQdkyzfPM

— Selshevneren (@selshevneren) May 20, 2025

Bodo, already home to Norway’s Joint Headquarters, was chosen over Rygge in the southeast.

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store emphasized the strategic need for NATO to maintain a “foothold in the North.”

No opening date has been announced.

North Korean Defectors Urge UN to Hold Kim Jong Un Accountable for Atrocities

At a high-level UN General Assembly meeting on Tuesday, North Korean defectors Eunju Kim and Gyuri Kang called for international action against Kim Jong Un’s regime, detailing horrific abuses including public executions, religious persecution, and forced repatriation.

Eunju Kim, who escaped starvation in 1999 and fled North Korea twice after being repatriated from China, accused Pyongyang of systemic human rights violations and urged the International Criminal Court to investigate the North Korean leader. She also condemned North Korea’s deployment of soldiers to fight in Ukraine, calling it a form of state-sponsored human trafficking.

Gyuri Kang recounted how her family was persecuted for their Christian faith and how three of her friends were executed — two publicly — for watching or distributing South Korean TV dramas. She escaped by sea in 2023 on a fishing boat and now advocates for access to outside information for North Koreans.

Today (May 20), the #UNGA held the first-ever High-Level Meeting specifically dedicated to #DPRK #HumanRights situation. Following the statements by Special Rapporteur on the DPRK human rights situation @UNSR_DPRK and representatives from civil society (@committeehrnk,… pic.twitter.com/DnLPCk8gnA

— Republic of Korea Mission to the UN🇰🇷🇺🇳 (@ROK_Mission) May 20, 2025

UN special rapporteur Elizabeth Salmón said North Koreans have faced worsening repression since the country sealed its borders in 2020, enforcing harsh new laws and increasing executions. She also raised concerns over the exploitation of soldiers sent to support Russia.

North Korea’s UN ambassador dismissed the allegations as “fabrication” and accused the West of hypocrisy. But Kim and Kang, supported by human rights organizations, urged the UN to impose targeted sanctions and end forced repatriations, calling on member states to refer the regime to the International Criminal Court.

Eunju Kim concluded with a warning: “Silence is complicity.”

Sources: News Agencies, Reuters