The most ambitious visions of the Golden Dome missile defense architecture face tough budgetary decisions about their prioritization within the missile defense portfolio, in the Department of Defense capability mix, and across the federal budget.
On January 27, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order (EO) entitled “The Iron Dome for America.” In an evolving and diverse threat environment, this order calls for a modernized missile defense infrastructure tailored to present-day and near-future challenges. Achieving the policy goals outlined in the EO will require significant innovation and investment, and issues of feasibility, cost, and implications for strategic stability will again be debated.
Recent concerns about the use of a dozen Standard Missile-3 interceptors and its effect on inventories are somewhat overblown in light of broader trends in procurement and delivery rates over multiple years.
The Iran-Israel air conflict presents an unprecedented success story for air and missile defense and highlights the use of these defenses to save lives, protect property, and reduce pressures on policymakers.
The common analysis of recent air and missile defense engagements in the Red Sea through a cost exchange ratio framework ignores both the complexity of those engagements and the complicated value of air and missile defense.
New analysis identifies steps to improve the Department of Defense’s missile-tracking satellite constellation.
Russia's missile attacks have failed to produce the kind of decisive strategic effects that Moscow likely expected.
The Iron Dome system is capable and combat proven, but it does not match the U.S. Army’s needs. After several years of experimenting, it's time to move on.
