The Golden Dome programme was established by executive order on 27 January 2025 in response to the increasing complexity and scale of missile threats, as outlined in a recent report by the Defense Intelligence Agency. These include systems such as cruise missiles, hypersonic glide vehicles, and fractional orbital bombardment weapons, which pose challenges to existing U.S. missile defences.
The proposed $25 billion would support the initial stages of the system, including investments in space-based sensors, interceptors, and next-generation command and control technologies.
The Golden Dome will integrate kinetic and non-kinetic defeat capabilities into a layered defence network. The architecture will link land-, sea-, air-, and space-based systems under a unified command structure to detect, track, and neutralise missile threats in real time.
The Golden Dome initiative is still in its early stages and would require significant effort and coordination across multiple agencies and military branches. Officials estimate that full deployment of the space-based layers could take between five and ten years.
