The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is laying the groundwork for a new $151 billion contract vehicle aimed at accelerating the development and deployment of next-generation missile defense technologies, marking a major step forward in implementing the Defense Department’s (DoD) Golden Dome missile defense initiative.
The Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) will be structured as a 10-year, multiple-award, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity vehicle.
According to the presolicitation notice posted to SAM.gov on May 21, SHIELD will enable rapid procurement of cutting-edge capabilities spanning research, development, testing, integration, production, and sustainment. Through this new contract, MDA intends to maximize use of digital engineering, open systems architectures, model-based systems engineering, and agile development processes to modernize the entire acquisition pipeline.
The MDA presolicitation outlines a requirement for “a multi-domain defense system capable of detecting, tracking, intercepting, and neutralizing an array of threats to the U.S. homeland, its forward-deployed forces, and allied nations.”
The envisioned system must engage targets across all phases of flight, whether they’re ballistic, hypersonic, or cruise missiles.
The contract is closely aligned with the objectives of the Golden Dome initiative, a multi-layered defense architecture intended to deliver continuous protection against a wide spectrum of evolving threats.
The Golden Dome program originated from an executive order issued by President Trump on January 27, tasking DoD with building a “next-generation missile defense shield” to combat the growing threat posed by hypersonic weapons and other advanced systems.
President Trump earlier this week revealed that the system will be “up and running” by 2028, estimating the full cost of the effort at $175 billion. The president provided no specific details about the design but claimed it “will integrate with existing defense capabilities and should be fully operational before the end of my term.
By enabling rapid development and integration of capabilities across domains, SHIELD is positioned to support Golden Dome’s vision of defending against air, missile, space, and hybrid attacks, regardless of whether they originate from land, air, or space, MDA said.
The MDA plans to issue a draft solicitation by late May 2025, with the formal solicitation expected in early June 2025.