Who Will Build Trump’s Iron… (now) Golden Dome?

In late January, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) for the Department of Defense (DOD) to develop the Iron Dome for America, giving the DOD two months to develop a plan and budget on how to build a next-generation missile defense missile defense system for the U.S.

Within days, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) issued a request for information (RFI) seeking help from industry in identifying innovative missile defense technologies to support the effort. Responses to the RFI are due February 28.

Just a few days ago, the MDA changed the name of the initiative to the Golden Dome for America, but the RFI response date remains unchanged.

Multiple Players and Efforts

Since the EO and MDA RFI release, there has been a flurry of discussion and activity around which DOD component(s) will take the lead and/or host the Golden Dome effort, and which will contribute support, in terms of development and/or operations. The short answer is, there are several concurrent activities underway, first to meet the president’s deadline and to set the stage for development, integration and deployment.

According to a draft DOD memo obtained by Breaking Defense, DOD is following a two-phase process led by the undersecretary for policy and supported by the assistant secretary for space policy. Both roles are currently being filled on an “acting” basis while Trump appointments await Senate confirmation, but that does not appear to be delaying work to meet the deadline.

Several agencies are playing a role in the effort, including the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and the Space Development Agency (SDA) under the U.S. Space Force (USSF), in addition to DOD policy, acquisition and budgetary offices. Specific satellite systems that are being tapped to help accelerate the process include the MDA’s Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (NGTSS) and the SDA’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA).

Details have been trickling out in the trade media. USSF Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman recently told reporters that the service has established an integrated planning team (IPT) to assess what relevant systems the Space Force already has in development and what capabilities would need to be built. From there, they are assessing technical feasibility and cost estimates.

The DOD undersecretary for Research & Engineering is coordinating with DOD space and intelligence components and the Joint Chiefs to develop plans for a wide variety of kinetic and non-kinetic space-based interceptors, as well as assess the potential for using directed-energy capabilities, according to the draft DOD memo.

FY 2026 DOD Budget Redirects

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth recently ordered an immediate review of the Pentagon’s budget, seeking to redirect 8 percent of total DOD spending over the next five years – starting with the FY 2026 budget – toward Trump priority defense projects, including the Golden Dome. The offsets target 8 percent of the FY 2026 DOD budget drafted by the Biden Administration, which would amount to around $50B, according to the announcement.

Legislative Support

Earlier in February, Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND), introduced the Increasing Response Options and Deterrence of Missile Engagements (IRON DOME) Act, in support of the Trump priority. As reported by MeriTalk, the bill would authorize about $19.5B for MDA in fiscal year (FY) 2026 for Iron Dome creation, an increase from MDA’s $10.4B FY2025 budget request. The bill would also require the transfer of all missile defense system operations and sustainment to the military services to allow MDA to focus solely on capability research and development. (A copy of the draft legislation is linked on Sen. Cramer’s news release.)

Final Thoughts

With so many moving parts – DOD policy, planning and technical reviews, the legislative and budget appropriations process in Congress, and the interplay among multiple high-profile priorities within the new Trump Administration – anticipating the direction and progress of the Golden Dome will be fascinating to observe. With a potential yearly authorization of $19B+ in budget, it promises to offer some significant contract opportunities for firms that play in this space, no pun intended.

GovWin IQ is tracking this opportunity and currently estimates a solicitation release in late Q4 FY 2025, but time will tell.