Gen. Michael Guetlein, director of Golden Dome for America, and Emil Michael, under secretary of war for research and engineering, highlighted progress on the next-generation homeland missile defense initiative during an event held Thursday at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Both leaders are Wash100 Award winners.
Golden Dome highlights the growing focus on integrated air and missile defense capabilities across the national security landscape. Attend the 2026 Air and Space Summit to join experts as they discuss emerging technologies and defense strategies in support of missions across two critical domains. Save your spot now!
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What Did Gen. Guetlein & Emil Michael Say About GDA?
Guetlein said the Golden Dome for America, or GDA, initiative represents a response to evolving threats and emphasized the program’s urgency and ongoing development.
“We are moving with purpose and urgency to forge a shield that is layered, integrated, and automated,” the general said. “The progress on display today is tangible proof that this is not a future concept, but a reality we must build now.”
Officials said the GDA program is progressing ahead of schedule and within budget. They highlighted several milestones, including finalizing the initial architecture blueprint, forming a command-and-control consortium and issuing awards for key system components.
“We are embracing an open architecture that harnesses the full power of American innovation — from artificial intelligence to the commercial space industry — to build the impenetrable shield that this nation deserves,” said Michael, also a 2026 Wash100 honoree.
What Is Golden Dome?
GDA is a layered defense architecture designed to protect the U.S. against hypersonic, ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as other advanced aerial threats. The initiative seeks to integrate a persistent space-based sensing layer for worldwide tracking, multiple interceptor capabilities and an integrated C2 system to rapidly manage threats.
In March, Guetlein announced that the Department of War increased the program’s cost estimate by $10 billion to $185 billion to accelerate the development of space-based capabilities designed to defend the homeland from aerial threats.
What Is the Pentagon’s Plan for Golden Dome?
President Trump’s fiscal 2027 budget request allocates $18 billion to support the development and deployment of the future missile defense shield.
Jules “Jay” Hurst, performing the duties of the Pentagon comptroller and chief financial officer, said during a Tuesday press briefing that DOW began building Golden Dome in fiscal 2026 by focusing on infrastructure to improve situational awareness and threat sensing, and plans to expand the sensing network and invest in next-generation interceptors in fiscal 2027.
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