HR 4107119th CongressIn Committee

GOLDEN DOME Act of 2025

Introduced: Jun 24, 2025

Infrastructure

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The GOLDEN DOME Act of 2025 is a broad, multi-domain initiative to dramatically accelerate and expand the United States’ missile defense capabilities. It envisions a holistic, layered defense system—spanning land, sea, air, undersea, space, and cyber domains—called the Golden Dome. The bill creates a high-visibility leadership structure (the Golden Dome Direct Report Program Manager) with sweeping acquisition and execution authority to design, test, and field a next-generation defense architecture quickly. It emphasizes space-based sensing (notably the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor layer), rapid testing (including live-fire exercises), extensive use of commercial and nontraditional defense approaches, and accelerated development across a wide array of capabilities—from glide-phase interceptors to dirigibles for surveillance and communications. If enacted, implementation would shift notable decisionmaking closer to the Secretary of Defense and JCS, prioritize open architectures and rapid fielding, and significantly expand the footprint of U.S. missile defense across multiple domains and locations (e.g., Alaska, Hawaii, and southern hemisphere radar capabilities). Potential impacts include faster modernization and deployment of missile defense capabilities, greater integration of space and terrestrial sensors, stronger deterrence through a more resilient and multi-domain defense posture, and heightened dependence on rapid acquisition authorities and interagency collaboration. It also raises questions about oversight, budgetary discipline, cost, and risk given the breadth of accelerated activities and the reduced role of some standard defense acquisition processes.

Key Points

1Establishment of a Golden Dome governance framework with enhanced authority
2- Creates a Golden Dome Direct Report Program Manager, appointed from senior Army/Air Force/Space Force flag officers, who reports to the Deputy Secretary of Defense and operates with broad acquisition, contracting, and budget authorities equivalent to Defense Acquisition Executives. This includes milestone decisions, direct hiring authority, congressional liaison, and the ability to budget across all accounts for Golden Dome, bypassing some standard procurement and development processes when necessary.
3- Explicitly allows accelerated, open-architecture development outside of the usual Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System ( JCIDS ) and DoD Directive 5000.01 processes, with strong protections against interference in the Program Manager’s responsibilities.
4- Requires a clear chain of command and a centralized program plan aligned with the President’s budget structure to enable congressional oversight.
5Holistic, all-domain missile defense strategy and integration
6- Mandates development of a holistic missile defense strategy within a year of enactment, including layered sensors from seafloor to space to provide persistent all-domain awareness.
7- Calls for integrated, secure, open, and redundant command and control, with a defined human chain of command for responses.
8- Emphasizes a flexible, open-architecture approach to allow spiral (incremental) development and rapid incorporation of new sensors, interceptors, and capabilities.
9Space-based sensing and defense industrial base protections
10- Accelerates deployment of space-based sensors, especially the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS), and strengthens space-domain awareness as a core element of homeland defense.
11- Provides protections and requirements intended to preserve a competitive, resilient space industrial base, with emphasis on competition, standards interoperability, and avoidance of major reductions in space industrial capacity.
12- Encourages use of commercial space capabilities and nondevelopmental items to speed fielding, while preserving critical standard interfaces across DoD systems.
13Wide-ranging acceleration across domains (weapons, sensors, and platforms)
14- Accelerates development and fielding across multiple areas, including:
15- Glide Phase Interceptor (for hypersonic threats)
16- Ground-mobile interceptors and radars for forward deployment and homeland defense
17- Resilient PNT (positioning, navigation, timing) in GPS-denied environments (e.g., quantum-enabled inertial navigation, enhanced terrestrial navigation, multi-source data fusion)
18- Autonomous agents to deter/defend against cruise missiles and unmanned systems
19- Low-cost scalable interceptors, force multipliers, and expanded space-based intercept options
20- Space-based sensors and interceptors with heavy use of commercial space capabilities and autonomy to enable time-critical targeting
21- Requires accelerated production and fielding of munitions used in missile defense (e.g., SM-3 blocks, PAC munitions) and expansion of Alaska-based Aegis Ashore systems, Hawaii completion, and related infrastructure.
22- Supports new and expanding networks of terrestrial radar and undersea surveillance (including AMTI systems and Integrated Undersea Surveillance System).
23Expedited construction authorities, international collaboration, and budget visibility
24- Includes an Expedited Military Construction Authority allowing the Secretary of Defense to waive normal legal requirements for expeditious deployment of Golden Dome, with limited court-review provisions.
25- Enables accelerated technology exchanges with trusted allies and allows leveraging partner technology to fill urgent capability gaps, while preserving safeguards against grave national security threats.
26- Requires Combatant Commanders to include missile defense interceptor and sensor requirements in their annual budget requests, strengthening battlefield planning integration with the national defense program.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected- U.S. Department of Defense: All services (Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Marines) and defense agencies (MDA, SDA) would implement the Golden Dome, with the Program Manager coordinating across services and with Congress.- Combatant Commands (e.g., USNORTHCOM, USINDOPACOM) and homeland defense stakeholders, who would be directed to align planning, budget requests, and testing with the Golden Dome framework.- Space and space-defense industrial base: aims to preserve competition, standard interfaces, and open architectures for space-based systems, with accelerated procurement and greater reliance on commercial space capabilities.Secondary group/area affected- Defense contractors and suppliers: accelerated contracting, rapid prototyping, and the use of commercial and nondevelopmental items could shift acquisition strategies and competition.- Allied partners and international technology collaboration: authorized (with guardrails) technology exchanges to share or adapt missile defense capabilities.- Congress and defense oversight: new reporting requirements, testing cadences, and centralized program management would affect oversight and budget processes.Additional impacts- Cyber, space, and information-domain integration: a strong emphasis on AI-driven data fusion, all-domain awareness, and secure, redundant C2 will raise the importance of cyber and space-related policy, standards, and resilience.- Geographic footprint: expansion of defense infrastructure in Alaska, Hawaii, and potential southern-hemisphere radar footprints could influence regional security dynamics and interoperability with allies.- Oversight and risk considerations: the bill grants substantial authority to a single program manager and fast-tracks processes; while it includes reporting and testing requirements, stakeholders may raise concerns about cost, risk, and accountability if standard checks are bypassed too aggressively.Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD): U.S. homeland missile defense system using ground-based interceptors.Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS): space-based sensor layer intended to track hypersonic and ballistic missiles.Glide Phase Interceptor: a weapon designed to intercept missiles during their glide phase after initial boost.Aegis Ashore / forward deployment: land-based missile defense system variants of the Navy’s Aegis Combat System.JCIDS / DoD 5000.01: standard DoD processes and manuals for defense acquisition; the bill intends to bypass these for Golden Dome where needed to accelerate fielding.Dirigibles: airships/aerostats proposed as surveillance and sensing platforms to support missile defense.PNT: positioning, navigation, and timing; resilience in GPS-denied environments is emphasized.

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