The top of the Trump administration’s Golden Dome program says the applied sciences wanted to create an bold space-based missile protection system are already in existence.
U.S. House Pressure Normal Michael Guetlein, Vice Chief of House Operations, was tapped by President Trump to steer the Golden Dome undertaking on Could 20 and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on July 17. His function will probably be to supervise the event and procurement of applied sciences for Golden Dome, a deliberate missile protection system that may shoot down incoming hypersonic, cruise and ballistic missiles from house.
A minimum of, that is the plan. Such a system has by no means earlier than been developed or deployed, however has been envisioned way back to 1983 when President Ronald Reagan launched an analogous thought generally known as the Strategic Protection Initiative. On the time, Reagan’s was criticized for sounding outlandish, however in keeping with Guetlein, the capabilities wanted for such a system are already right here. “I firmly imagine that the expertise that we have to ship Golden Dome exists at this time,” Guetlein stated throughout his hearth chat on the Space Foundation’s Innovate Space: Global Economic Summit held on July 22. “It has simply by no means introduced been delivered to bear on this downside set to guard the homeland, nor has it been delivered to bear on this manner issue.”
The summit was held at Amazon’s company headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.
Guetlein stated that whereas the capabilities of constructing the imagined ballistic missile system exist already, one main problem will probably be altering the organizational tradition that exists all through the U.S. army and its related contractors to make room for the brand new thought. “How do I take capabilities that have been in-built range pipes for various mission areas, amongst totally different providers, totally different companies, deliver these collectively as an built-in structure?” Guetlein requested the group.
The House Pressure basic described the tradition throughout his time within the U.S. Air Pressure, saying army leaders have been cautious of trusting personal contractors or telling them delicate data. However as House Pressure turns extra to industrial business for brand spanking new applied sciences wanted to battle a possible battle in house, army leaders are rethinking that tradition. “House is simply too huge for the House Pressure to go it alone,” Guetlein stated.
Different House Pressure leaders have made comparable feedback in current months. In April 2025, on the House Basis’s House Symposium in Colorado Springs, U.S. Chief of House Operations Normal Probability B. Saltzman informed attendees the service “should harness the advantages of technological innovation and rising capabilities if we’re going to have the ability to out-compete our opponents,” and that, traditionally, “army success has hinged on help from industrial business.”
In actual fact, personal aerospace contractors already do seem like testing applied sciences that may be required to construct a system like Golden Dome. Kathy Warden, CEO of Northrop Grumman, informed buyers the corporate is already testing Golden-Dome-related applied sciences throughout a quarterly earnings name on July 22, according to The War Zone.
Except for present capabilities like radar methods and different categorized initiatives, Warden stated Golden Dome will “embody new innovation, like space-based interceptors, which we’re testing now.”
Such applied sciences are essential for the event of a space-based missile protection system like Golden Dome, Guetlein stated through the summit this week, however emphasised that a number of vital capabilities have already been developed for the undertaking. “I believe the actual technical problem will probably be constructing of the space-based interceptor. That expertise exists, I imagine. I imagine we now have confirmed each ingredient of the physics, that we are able to make it work,” Guetlein stated.
However that does not imply different challenges do not stay. “What we now have not confirmed is, first, can I do it economically, after which second, can I do it at scale?” Guetlein added. “Can I construct sufficient satellites to get after the menace? Can I increase the economic base quick sufficient to construct these satellites? Do I’ve sufficient uncooked supplies, et cetera?”
The U.S. House Pressure basic additionally underscored the necessity for Golden Dome by describing just a few of the weapon capabilities that potential adversaries like Russia and China have been creating — capabilities through which the U.S. still lags far behind, in keeping with statements from army leaders in recent times.
China and Russia have been “constructing hypersonic missiles able to touring in extra of 6,000 miles an hour and maneuvering in endgame,” Guetlein stated through the summit. “They have been constructing satellites or weapons that appear to be satellites on launch, fly across the Earth, and it might navigate into any level on the Earth that they need.
“And the checklist of threats retains occurring.”
