Officials with the U.S. Department of Defense, referred to by the Trump administration as the Department of War, and other federal agencies gathered Thursday at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story to show off the DoW’s progress on Golden Dome for America.
Golden Dome is President Donald Trump’s initiative to build a next-generation missile defense shield to protect the country. The event highlighted current missile defense capabilities, and illustrated the need to modernize the country’s defenses against a new generation of advanced threats.
“Golden Dome is the decisive response to a new era of threats,” Gen. Mike Guetlein, director of Golden Dome for America, said. “We are moving with purpose and urgency to forge a shield that is layered, integrated, and automated. The progress on display today is tangible proof that this is not a future concept, but a reality we must build now.”
Officials focused on the Golden Dome program’s momentum, with officials confirming the program is on budget and ahead of schedule. Key achievements include the completion of the initial architecture blueprint, the establishment of a Command-and-Control Consortium, and the awarding of contracts for critical system components.
Golden Dome is a layered defense architecture designed to protect America from complex ballistic, hypersonic and cruise missiles as well as advanced aerial threats by combining a space-based sensor network for global tracking with advanced interceptors and an integrated command and control system.
“From a NORAD and NORTHCOM perspective, the requirement is clear,” Deputy Director of Operations at North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Maj. Gen. Mark Piper said. “To defend North America and win tomorrow’s fight, we must maintain our warfighting advantages and operate beyond stovepiped systems operating at human speed. Golden Dome is forging the integrated, automated battle management network needed to see every threat, make decisions in milliseconds, and keep America safe.”