WASHINGTON — A missile-defense initiative launched by President Donald Trump to protect the U.S. homeland will require a whole-of-government effort comparable to the Manhattan Project, according to a senior Space Force official.
Gen. Michael Guetlein, vice chief of space operations of the U.S. Space Force, said the ambitious project known as Golden Dome represents a significant challenge that demands unprecedented collaboration across defense and intelligence agencies.
“We are in full planning mode,” Guetlein said March 5 at the National Security Innovation Base Summit hosted by the Ronald Reagan Institute. “We owe an answer back to the White House by the end of the month on what our thoughts are.”
Golden Dome would be a comprehensive shield to protect the U.S. from an array of threats, including ballistic, hypersonic, and advanced cruise missiles. The system’s core components would include space-based sensors and missile interceptors, leveraging orbital vantage points for early detection and rapid response. Additionally, terrestrial and maritime platforms would provide layered defense, complemented by advanced communication networks to ensure seamless data-sharing and swift decision-making.
“We’re spending a lot of time really talking about architectures,” Guetlein said. “What might the different levels of architecture look like depending on the threat that we want to protect and defend the United States against.”
Cross-agency collaboration
Guetlein emphasized that organizational integration represents perhaps the greatest challenge, requiring coordination across traditional bureaucratic boundaries.
“We are not accustomed to having to integrate at the level that’s going to be required,” he said. This is “on the magnitude of the Manhattan Project,” he added. “It’s going to take a concerted effort from the very top of our government. It’s going to take national will to bring all this together. It’s going to be a heavy lift across all the organizations that are going to be participating. And what we’ve got to really push back on are the organizational boundaries and the cultures that are going to try to slow us down or to prevent us from working together.
While the Missile Defense Agency has substantial expertise in ballistic missile defense, Guetlein indicated that leadership of the project has yet to be determined. The Space Force will play a crucial role due to its space-based capabilities, including low Earth orbit satellites for communications, proliferated sensors for global awareness, and missile warning systems already in orbit.
The National Reconnaissance Office, which operates the nation’s spy satellites, will also be a key partner. “They also have capabilities on orbit that we want to bring to bear for the protection of the homeland,” Guetlein noted. However, there will be hurdles to integrating defense and intelligence operations governed by different sections of U.S. law — specifically Title 10 and Title 50 authorities.
“Without a doubt, our biggest challenge is going to be organizational behavior and culture to bring all the pieces together,” Guetlein said.
Beyond current capabilities
Golden Dome represents a significant leap from the current Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system, which was designed primarily to counter a limited number of ballistic missiles from North Korea. While GMD relies on ground-based interceptors in Alaska and California, Golden Dome envisions a broader, multi-layered defense against hypersonic and cruise missile threats, incorporating space-based interceptors and advanced tracking technologies.
Guetlein said planning for Golden Dome is being informed by recent operations in the Middle East. Following Iran’s missile attacks last year against Israel, U.S. forces in the region, including warships and aircraft, helped intercept many incoming threats while providing real-time intelligence and early warning to Israel.
Space Force units in Colorado operating missile warning satellites played a crucial role, alerting U.S. and allied forces and providing data to interceptor platforms “so we could take those missiles out before they caused harm,” Gen. Guetlein said.
“These are threats that we’re seeing every single day,” he added.
Policy hurdles remain
Guetlein also noted that the Space Force’s ability to support Golden Dome could be strengthened with expanded on-orbit training and testing capabilities, which he said are currently constrained by policy restrictions.
“If I were to ask for one authority for the Space Force, it would be the authority to do on-orbit training and testing that we’re not capable of doing today,” he said. “It’s a very constrained set of authorities that we have today, and we would ask that that open up so that we can increase the readiness of our forces on the front line.”
