Overview

• Gen. Michael Guetlein was unanimously confirmed by the Senate this week to lead the Golden Dome program as Direct Reporting Program Manager, with directives to assemble a team in 30 days, deliver an initial system design in 60 days and present a full implementation plan in 120 days.
• Congress has appropriated about $24.4 billion in the One Big, Beautiful Bill and roughly $13 billion in the Defense Appropriations Act, bringing total early funding for Golden Dome to approximately $37.4 billion.
• Following a public fallout between President Trump and Elon Musk, officials are seeking alternatives to SpaceX by engaging Amazon’s Project Kuiper and defense contractors such as Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and L3Harris.
• SpaceX remains a frontrunner for launch services given its Starlink experience, but the administration plans to competitively bid individual launches to encourage broader supplier participation.
• The program’s aggressive pace and reliance on commercial satellite networks raise cybersecurity, integration and geopolitical concerns as adversaries may develop new countermeasures.