“Iron Dome” Becomes “Golden Dome”

President Trump’s directive to build an “Iron Dome for America” is getting a name change. Instead of Iron Dome, it now is Golden Dome. The purpose is the same — build a missile defense system to protect the United States from foreign missile threats.

Trump signed an Executive Order to build an Iron Dome for America on January 27. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota) introduced the ““Increasing Response Options and Deterrence of Missile Engagement” or IRONDOME Act soon thereafter.

DOD was given 60 days to come up with a “reference architecture, capabilities-based requirements, and an implementation plan for the next generation missile defense shield.” That effort is underway and U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman asserts the service will play a central role. The Space Force already operates space systems that detect and track missile launches and is developing a Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture that will consist of hundreds of small satellites in low Earth orbit to assist in missile defense. But not weapons. This new initiative may lead to development and deployment of space-based interceptors.

The name Iron Dome is taken from Israel’s ground-based missile defense system that effectively destroyed incoming Iranian short-range missiles last year.  Israel is a tiny country compared to the United States, however, and Iron Dome is only one part of its missile defense system. It really isn’t comparable in scale to Trump’s concept of a multi-layered defense for the United States with air-, land-, sea- and space-based components. Using the name of Israel’s system reportedly created confusion, conveying the American system would be similarly ground-based only, and the name is trademarked by an Israeli defense company according to Defense News.

A January 31 Request for Information (RFI) to industry from the Missile Defense Agency to help identify innovative missile defense technologies, architectures, concepts and CONOPS was amended on February 24 to reflect the name change, although they will keep Iron Dome for the purposes of that RFI.