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Golden Dome Czar Studying Architecture Options
September 2025
By Xiaodon Liang
The Pentagon’s Golden Dome office expects to develop within 60 days an “objective architecture” to flesh out its concept of the missile defense shield, a signature strategic initiative of U.S. President Donald Trump, a top official said.
Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein, the direct reporting program manager for Golden Dome, said he was responsible for completing the study by late September 2025, after which it will be briefed to the deputy secretary of the Air Force.
Guetlein, who made the comments at a Space Foundation event July 22, was confirmed July 17 to his new position by the U.S. Senate. According to Guetlein, his position—informally known as the Golden Dome “czar”—comes with a “whole list of authorities” delegated by the secretary of defense.
Speaking on a controversial component of the Golden Dome program, a proposed space-based interceptor constellation, Guetlein claimed, “that technology exists. I believe we have proven every element of the physics that we can make it work.”
“What we have not proven is: first, can I do it economically; and then second, can I do it at scale? Can I build enough satellites to get after the threat? Can I expand the industrial base fast enough to build those satellites?” he asked.
Guetlein’s acknowledgement of the economic challenges confronting a space-based interceptor constellation mirrors the concerns expressed in a Congressional Budget Office study of potential costs published May 5. The study estimated that a constellation sized to defend against a small number of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) fired by North Korea would cost between $161 billion and $542 billion over 20 years. (See ACT, June 2025.)
The Golden Dome, in contrast, is supposed to be able to defend the United States against peer attacks, meaning China and Russia, Trump specified in his January executive order initiating the program.
Although Guetlein’s office has been tasked with detailing the specific architecture for the Golden Dome, the president already approved a conceptual plan in May. According to leaked presentations from an industry conference in early August, the plan envisions four integrated layers of missile interceptors, one in space and three on land.
The existing Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system, originally designed to defend the homeland against limited rogue-state ICBM attacks, should be expanded to include a new silo field in the Midwestern continental United States, Reuters reported, citing the newswire’s analysis of the leaked presentation. The existing GMD system, currently based in Alaska and California, is set to be upgraded with a Next Generation Interceptor beginning in 2030, a year and a half behind schedule, according to contractor Lockheed Martin’s latest timeline estimates.
Congress voted earlier this year in its annual defense policy bill to require the Pentagon to deploy a third GMD site with the upgraded interceptor on the East Coast by 2031.
The conference presentation also indicated a role for a land-based variant of the Aegis ship-based ballistic missile defense system, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, and the localized short-range Patriot air and missile defense system.
Networking these interceptors, as well as new and existing sensors, will be a critical challenge for the program. “Our first near term focus is going to be on integration of command and control of the various assets that have been built across all those stovepipes” between services and programs, Guetlein said.
The general also addressed concerns regarding oversight of spending on Golden Dome. The Senate Armed Services Committee is proposing, in its draft of this year’s defense authorization act, that Congress require annual briefings by the secretary of defense on the Golden Dome’s progress and costs.
Because key components of the program—including space-based interceptors—will be paid for by a special multiyear reconciliation appropriation passed by Congress earlier this summer, the Defense Department has not provided budget justification documents for those programs akin to those provided to Congress for regular annual requests.
“With that comes an enormous amount of responsibility by the [department] to execute those funds with discipline, but also with transparency,” Guetlein said.