Space Force General Michael Guetlein, the four-star officer leading President Trump’s Golden Dome air and space missile defense project, has finalized the blueprint for the $175 billion program. Pentagon overseer Steve Feinberg received his first official briefing on the architecture, marking a key milestone in planning, funding, and development.
Guetlein, who said in July he had 60 days to produce the objective architecture, delivered it on schedule, with officials noting Sept. 17 marked both the deadline and the formal establishment of the Office of Golden Dome. He also briefed Congress this week on the system’s goals and timeline.
The Golden Dome aims to expand U.S. defenses against ballistic, hypersonic, and advanced cruise missiles through a four-layer system: one satellite-based and three land-based, with 11 short-range missile batteries positioned across the continental U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii. Its architecture incorporates space-based sensors, ground interceptors, radar arrays, and potentially lasers, though numbers of satellites or interceptors remain undisclosed.
The program, inspired by Israel’s Iron Dome but on a far larger scale, is slated to be operational by 2028. Guetlein’s next milestone comes in November, when he must present a full implementation plan including satellite and ground station details. Defense contractors Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, RTX, and Boeing are expected to compete for key components.
