WASHINGTON — Just days after being confirmed by the Senate, Gen. Michael Guetlein said he is wasting no time launching the Pentagon’s ambitious missile defense program known as Golden Dome.
As the newly appointed program manager for Golden Dome of America, Guetlein said his top priority is to craft a concrete architectural blueprint for an integrated defense shield protecting the American homeland.
“I’ve been given 60 days to come up with the objective architecture,” Guetlein said July 22 at the Space Foundation’s Innovate Space conference. The term refers to an initial, end-to-end blueprint for how satellites, sensors, interceptors, command networks, and other components will integrate into a unified missile shield.
Golden Dome, mandated by President Trump in an executive order, is being designed to protect the continental United States against a spectrum of emerging threats — ballistic, hypersonic, cruise missiles and other advanced weapons.
It represents a next-generation, layered defense that builds on but extends beyond existing systems, and adds significant space-based components.
Golden Dome is “really a bold vision to double down on the protection of the homeland and protect our American citizens,” Guetlein said during a fireside chat with retired Space Force Gen. John “Jay” Raymond.
Direct line to the Pentagon’s top
Guetlein holds the rare status of reporting directly to Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve Feinberg, bypassing traditional chains of command. That authority, he said, is intentional — “so that I can move with haste to deliver this capability without a lot of people along the way being able to tell me ‘no.’”
That arrangement gives him control over budgeting, acquisition, and hiring decisions and allows for cross-agency collaboration — often a stumbling block in past missile defense programs. He emphasized a small, agile team structure and plans to tap personnel from within government, industry, academia and national labs.
Feinberg “has given me the authority so we are able to pick and choose the talent that we need,” Guetlein said.
Legacy systems, new playbook
Guetlein is not starting from scratch. The U.S. already has a range of fielded missile defense capabilities — each with specific missions and limitations. Golden Dome’s task is to fuse them into a single, seamless architecture.
Existing systems include the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system for intercepting intercontinental ballistic missiles; the sea- and land-based Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense system; the mobile Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system; and the Patriot point-defense system. The Pentagon is also developing a Next Generation Interceptor to replace existing ground-based interceptors.
“How do I take capabilities that were built in stove pipes or different mission areas, amongst different services, different agencies, and bring those together as an integrated architecture?” he asked.
That effort begins with establishing integrated command and control — the nervous system of the defense architecture. “That includes the sensors, the shooters, as well as the comm pipes,” he said. “How do we bring all that to bear simultaneously in protection of the homeland, while utilizing the capabilities that are already there and not trying to recreate them?”
To keep momentum going, Guetlein said the program will aim for incremental demonstrations every six months. “We are on a short timeline,” he said. “The President gave us three years to deliver this capability.”
Space-based interceptors on the table
While integrating existing systems is the immediate goal, Guetlein said that novel technologies — including space-based missile interceptors — are under active consideration. The concept, long debated in Washington, would involve deploying kinetic interceptors into orbit to defend against missile attacks globally.
“That technology exists,” Guetlein said. “I believe we have proven every element of the physics that we can to make it work. What we have not proven is, first, can I do it economically, and then second, can I do it at scale?”
The Pentagon is planning two industry events in the coming months to explore these questions: a rescheduled Missile Defense Agency industry day and a separate conference hosted by the Space Systems Command focused on space interceptors. The goal is to determine whether such systems could be fielded by 2028.
Guetlein also announced plans to create a web portal — modeled on Space Systems Command’s “Front Door” — to allow industry to pitch ideas directly. “We’ve got to exploit anything and everything we possibly have today in new and innovative ways,” he said.
Eyes on Congress
While technology and integration are front-burner issues, Guetlein acknowledged another critical front: Capitol Hill. Golden Dome is expected to cost tens of billions of dollars, and the initial $25 billion funding for Golden Dome has been provided through “colorless” budget lines — broad funding without the usual program specificity.
“That’s a lot of money that they put into a pot,” he said. “With that comes an enormous amount of responsibility by the DoD to execute those funds with discipline, but also with transparency.”
Guetlein said he will work to build trust with lawmakers and communicate frequently about progress, risks, and spending.
Command engagement
Guetlein said he plans to engage senior military leaders across the Department of Defense in the weeks ahead. First stop: Colorado Springs, where he will meet this week with Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of U.S. Northern Command and NORAD — the military’s front line for defending the U.S. homeland from air and missile threats.
“We have to deliver on that vision of integrated command and control across the nation,” Guetlein said.
Whether that vision becomes reality — and on time — will hinge on how quickly his team can break down bureaucratic barriers and field working prototypes. “I firmly believe that the technology that we need to deliver Golden Dome exists today,” Guetlein insisted. “What I really believe the challenge here is going to be organization.”