Overview

• A Pentagon spokesperson said the department met its initial architecture-development deadline on Sept. 17, 60 days after Gen. Mike Guetlein’s confirmation and the stand-up of the Office of Golden Dome for America.
• Steve Feinberg received his first official briefing on the system’s architecture, following Guetlein’s earlier update to Congress on program goals and schedule.
• The next milestone is mid-November, when Guetlein must present a full implementation plan with details on satellites, ground stations and other components.
• Government presentations outline a four-layer design—one in space and three on land—with a notional 11 short-range missile batteries across the continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii to counter ballistic, hypersonic and advanced cruise missiles.
• Cost and feasibility remain uncertain, with an American Enterprise Institute study estimating space-based interceptor constellations could cost from tens of billions to several trillion dollars as lawmakers and experts emphasize rigorous end-to-end testing.