Gen. Michael Guetlein, the newly confirmed program manager for Golden Dome, said on Tuesday he is wasting no time in assembling a detailed plan and team to build the Pentagon’s next-generation missile defense initiative.
Guetlein is expected to deliver a blueprint for the Golden Dome to Pentagon leaders in 60 days.
The Golden Dome program, announced by executive order on Jan. 27, forms the centerpiece of President Trump’s renewed missile defense strategy. Billed as a “next-generation missile defense shield,” it is intended to protect the United States from hypersonic and other advanced missile threats.
The Trump administration estimates the program will cost $175 billion to develop and deploy by 2028. A $25 billion initial investment was included in the latest reconciliation bill, with another $13 billion directed toward supporting related missile defense and space initiatives. Most of the funding in the near term is expected to bolster satellite tracking and interceptor capabilities already in the Pentagon’s portfolio.
Despite its high profile, Golden Dome has faced growing skepticism due to the limited details released about its system architecture. Lawmakers, particularly Democrats, have raised concerns over the lack of transparency around its scope, cost, and timeline.
But Guetlein pledged that once the 60-day report is delivered, more details about the system’s architecture and components will be made available.
“Basically, I’ve been given 60 days to come up with the objective architecture. I owe that back to the Deputy Secretary of Defense in 60 days,” Guetlein said at the Innovate Space Global Economic Summit. “So, in 60 days, I’ll be able to talk in depth about, ‘Hey, this is our vision for what we want to get after for Golden Dome.’”
Guetlein said Golden Dome will use a multi-layered system built on existing sensors, interceptors, and command networks, adding, “The technology exists today – it just hasn’t been applied to this problem or in this form.”
Still, much of the discussion so far has been largely conceptual. Guetlein said his priority in shaping the blueprint is to engage with warfighters to determine the threats Golden Dome must address – a key step he plans to begin in the next few days.
Some other short-term priorities for what is officially known as the “Office of Golden Dome for America” include linking together the military’s missile detection and response infrastructure into a cohesive network.
However, the challenges ahead, Guetlein emphasized, are less about the technology and more about integration.
“What I really believe the challenge here is going to be organizational behavior,” he said. “How do I take capabilities that were built in stove pipes for different mission areas, amongst different services, different agencies, bring those together as an integrated architecture?”
To meet that challenge, Guetlein is rapidly building what he described as a lean, empowered team.
“We’ve been very, very selective on getting not only the right talent, but the right personalities that understand how to go fast,” he said. “Not everybody understands what it takes to move at that speed.”
To quickly stand up that team, Guetlein has been given authorities that allow him to bypass conventional hiring and acquisition timelines. He said he has identified a list of 30 candidates from across industry and academia to join his team. Additionally, Guetlein is building a national consortium of companies, labs, and universities to provide technical advice and capabilities.
“We are on a short timeline,” he said. “The president gave us three years to deliver this capability, and we’re going to deliver in three years. That means we need to move out with a sense of urgency and move out with incremental wins along the way.”