There is a trustworthy adage in the Pentagon: There are two ways to kill a defense program: (1) develop the program in pieces or phases, each so small as to appear insignificant when explained, and (2) make the program sound so immense and complex no one can wrap their head around it. As Golden Dome – President Donald Trump’s signature program to ensure the security of the United States – gains momentum inside the Department of Defense, the Pentagon has chosen number two.
Golden Dome Sense of Urgency
Trump's Jan. 27 executive order (EO), The Iron Dome for America, is an urgent directive. "The threat of attack by ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles, and other advanced aerial attacks remains the most catastrophic threat facing the United States," the EO states. Furthermore, the president gave the Pentagon 60 days to come up with an implementation plan to develop and deploy Golden Dome. Here's where the Pentagon has an opportunity to do what it does best: create a mega program that will take as long as it takes and cost as much as it costs.
During a presentation at the annual McAleese and Associates 2025 Defense Programs Conference in March, Acting Under Secretary of Defense, Acquisition, and Sustainment Steven Morani provided a glimpse into the Defense Department's thinking about Golden Dome. He acknowledged the department "must operate at both speed and scale … to deliver a product that works every time." Speaking specifically about Golden Dome for America, Morani reverted to typical Pentagon acquisition-speak, observing that the new initiative would involve the Missile Defense Agency and all military services. "This is like the monster systems engineering problem … This is the monster integration problem, right, because this is going to be layers of architectures working together at all group level elevations and … trying to protect the United States … this going to be really, really tough to solve." Translated: This will be a very long, involved, and expensive program.
Few would deny there are immediate threats from enemy "ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles," and business as usual is not what Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have in mind. Those advanced technology challenges are here today. RealClear Defense explained:
"What makes modern hypersonics different is their speed and maneuverability. Whether a glide vehicle mounted on a ballistic missile or as an advanced cruise missile, a modern hypersonic accelerates at extremely high speed towards its target and follows an unpredictable flight trajectory. Modern missile interception technology is extremely advanced … a missile that can quickly change its flight path and elevation becomes a serious threat."
When then-candidate Trump first advanced his idea of developing an Israeli-like Iron Dome missile defense shield for the United States, people remembered President Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative. In the intervening nearly four decades, the United States has spent a lot of money but has fielded only 44 ballistic missile interceptors at two launching facilities. This modest level of protection is not what Trump envisioned. The Golden Dome program will be complex, yes, but not "monstrous." The program can certainly be a self-fulfilling prophecy and become monstrous. On the other hand, if Golden Dome is developed with a mandate to use and integrate existing systems initially, with future growth built-in, the program could be fielded more quickly.
For example, Naval News reported that a US Navy missile destroyer, the USS Pinckney, "successfully completed Flight Test Other 40, also known as Stellar Banshee, using Lockheed Martin's Aegis Combat system to detect, track and perform an engagement against a live hypersonic Medium Range Ballistic Missile target using a simulated SM-6 [anti-missile, missile]." The article also explained that the successful test demonstrated the Aegis Combat System's capability to adjust to changing defense conditions. Using existing systems that have shown success should be an integral part of the Golden Dome program.
The Pentagon’s Clean Sheet of Paper
The Defense Department's inclination is to start with a clean sheet of paper to develop Golden Dome. But to achieve rapid fielding of an effective missile shield, the Pentagon should select the winning contractor based on how it includes current systems to the maximum. There must be a process put in practice to ensure the timely development and employment of Golden Dome, rather than depending on the Pentagon’s standard approach: needing design and engineering miracles for systems never before developed to be operationally effective quickly.
The status quo – programs over cost, behind schedule, and not performing – will likely not satisfy the urgency expected by President Trump.
The views expressed are those of the author and not of any other affiliate.
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