WASHINGTON, DC — President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday directing the Department of Defense to develop and deploy a next-generation missile defense shield designed to protect the United States from advanced ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missile threats.
Titled “The Iron Dome for America,” the order emphasizes the need to defend U.S. citizens and critical infrastructure against aerial attacks from peer, near-peer, and rogue adversaries. The directive outlines a comprehensive plan to modernize and expand missile defense capabilities, including space-based interceptors and advanced non-kinetic technologies.
“The threat of attack by ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles remains the most catastrophic threat facing the United States,” Trump wrote in the order, invoking President Ronald Reagan’s original vision of a missile defense system during the Cold War.
The Secretary of Defense has been tasked with creating a reference architecture and implementation plan within 60 days. This plan will include measures such as accelerating the deployment of space-based sensors, developing boost-phase intercept technologies, and ensuring a secure supply chain for components. Additionally, the executive order calls for an updated assessment of missile threats to the U.S. homeland and a prioritized list of locations to defend against nuclear countervalue attacks.
The directive also reinforces the importance of collaborating with allies and partners to improve theater missile defenses, protect forward-deployed U.S. troops, and share advanced technology with allied nations.