Senior leaders from the Department of War, U.S. government, and defense industry gathered at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, April 23, to provide an update about Golden Dome for America (GDA), the nation's initiative to build a next-generation missile defense shield to protect the Homeland.
Speakers included Undersecretary of War for Research and Engineering and the Department of War's Chief Technology Officer Emil Michael; Director of Golden Dome for America Gen. Mike Guetlein; and Deputy Director of Operations at North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Maj. Gen. Mark Piper.
The event, set against a backdrop of current missile defense capabilities, underscored the urgent need to modernize the nation's defenses against a new generation of advanced threats, as directed by President Trump.
"Golden Dome is the decisive response to a new era of threats," said Gen. Mike Guetlein, Director of Golden Dome for America. "We are moving with purpose and urgency to forge a shield that is layered, integrated, and automated. The progress on display today is tangible proof that this is not a future concept, but a reality we must build now."
GDA is a layered defense architecture designed to protect the United States from complex ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles, as well as advanced aerial threats. It enhances national security by integrating a persistent space-based sensor network for global tracking, a portfolio of advanced interceptors providing defense-in-depth, and an integrated command and control system to manage threats at machine speed.
The program's momentum was a central theme, with officials confirming GDA is ahead of schedule and on budget. Key achievements highlighted include the completion of the initial architecture blueprint, the establishment of a Command-and-Control Consortium, and the awarding of active contracts for critical system components.
Emil Michael, Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering, spoke to the program's innovative foundation.
"It is this Department's mandate to definitively secure our homeland," said Under Secretary Michael. "We are embracing an open architecture that harnesses the full power of American innovation—from artificial intelligence to the commercial space industry—to build the impenetrable shield that this nation deserves."
During remarks, the operational imperative for capabilities was validated by Piper.
"From a NORAD and NORTHCOM perspective, the requirement is clear," said Maj. Gen. Piper. "To defend North America and win tomorrow's fight, we must maintain our warfighting advantages and operate beyond stovepiped systems operating at human speed. Golden Dome is forging the integrated, automated battle management network needed to see every threat, make decisions in milliseconds, and keep America safe."
The choice of Hampton Roads for the event underscored the region's role in the national endeavor. The area hosts testing for the Army Long-Range Persistent Surveillance (ALPS), a key terrestrial sensor whose data directly informs the development of the broader GDA architecture.
Department officials explained GDA is a fiscally responsible, vital investment in national security. The program's modular, open-systems approach is designed to control costs and provide sustained, predictable demand signals to the U.S. industrial base, ensuring the nation can outpace emerging threats for decades to come.