American ‘Iron Dome’ Among New Top DOD Priorities

The first major defense modernization push under the Trump Administration is set to begin focusing on missile defense of the homeland, though many questions surround exactly how the effort will move forward.

President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order on “Iron Dome for America,” a campaign promise for made-in-America missile defense, new Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters Jan. 27.

“This is happening quickly,” Hegseth told reporters as he arrived at the Pentagon.

Exactly what “Iron Dome for America” will be is an open question. Trump’s election platform included the broad promise to “Prevent World War Three, restore peace in Europe and in the Middle East, and build a great Iron Dome missile defense shield over our entire country—all Made in America.”

Israel’s Iron Dome system, introduced in 2011, is a joint Raytheon-Rafael venture using missile interceptors designed to down short-range projectiles such as rockets, artillery and mortars. While Iron Dome has a notable success rate—downing 90% of targets since it was first fielded—its use case is not particularly relevant for U.S. homeland defense.

Trump’s executive order is likely to focus on higher-end threats, including ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles, along with other emerging threats.

The Pentagon is undertaking a series of different modernization efforts to focus on these threats. They include the Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) Next-Generation Interceptor (NGI), which Lockheed Martin won in April 2024. The $17 billion program will create new interceptors to replace the existing 44 Ground-Based Interceptors as part of MDA’s Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system to protect against a North Korean ballistic missile threat.

For more capable threats, Northrop Grumman in September 2024 won MDA’s Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI) program. GPI is designed to protect against long-range hypersonic threats, launching from U.S. Navy Aegis ballistic missile defense destroyers and Aegis Ashore systems. While Northrop is leading the development, Japan will supply rocket motors and propulsion components.

An overall, integrated “dome” of protection is taking shape on Guam as part of a U.S. Army-led air and missile defense effort. The Guam Defense System integrates multiple sensors, interceptors and command-and-control nodes, including a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery, Sea-Based Terminal defense with Raytheon SM-6 interceptors, Patriot air defense batteries, the short-range Indirect Fire Protection Capability Increment 2 and the Navy’s Aegis Combat System.