The United States President has made the Missile Defense of the United States Homeland a top priority by signing an Executive Order on the first Monday after his inauguration week and on the first day of the new Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon. There has been extensive thought and intent on making this happen and the wording used. This Executive Order is a Mandate for President Trump and this Administration to have capabilities achieved and deployed during his term and embedded. President Trump and this Executive Order must have the allocated Resources in the Budget to be truly the top priority.
In an overview of the January 27th Executive Order by the President of the United States for “Iron Dome America” there are four ranked sections to be implemented. 1) Recognizing the threat 2) deploying a next-generation missile defense shield, 3) Urgency to make it happen 60 days for initial report and 4) increasing forward US Missile Defenses in theater outside US Homeland with integration and support of Allies.
“The United States will deploy a next-generation missile defense shield to defend our Homeland and citizens. The United States will deter and defend the Homeland from foreign aerial attacks. The United States will secure a second-strike capability.” Executive Order January 27, 2025
This executive order implies the development and deployment of a space-based prolific layer of sensors and shooters that have capabilities to track and shoot down missile threats prior to launch and right after launch in the boosting phase, threats in space and missile threats in the midcourse phase in space where the most time of flight is spent and in the terminal phase from terrestrial based terminal defense layer. This completes an extensive layered defense for the United States Homeland and the populations from missile threats flying in both air and space domains and seen by sensors in both air and space domains.
There are existing land, sea, and air-based systems for the terminal phases of the United States Homeland that will be deployed and evolved. Space sensor and shooter innovation development will be heavily invested in. The Defended Asset List (DAL) will be the United States nuclear deterrent from National Command to the Nuclear Force as the first priority to be defended.
United States Space Force and United States Air Force will play a prominent role in resourcing and fielding this next-generation missile defense shield. The Missile Defense Agency will be empowered with authorities to develop the architecture. Northcom with the support of Spacecom will provide the Command of the system. There will be a 4-star or equivalent civilian existing Command to be responsible and accountable for executing and implementing the Missile Defense of the United States Homeland as laid out by the Executive Order.
Terminal phase assets will leverage existing Navy/Army/Air Force platforms and pursue their continued development in evolution through their Services. The National Guard will operate the Homeland Defense terminal layered systems and perhaps operating the Space-based systems through a new Space National Guard.
This Executive Order sends a clear message to the adversaries of the United States that offsets their current advantages in missile advancement and capacity.
This Executive Order breaks the International Norms for Missile Defense in Space driven by physics and cost to compete against existing, proliferating, and evolving Chinese and Russian Space Weapon platforms.
This Executive Order empowers the United States to best Defend the United States Homeland from air and space threats.
This Executive Order “will rebuild our military by matching threats to capabilities. This means reviving our defense industrial base, reforming our acquisition process, passing a financial audit, and rapidly fielding emerging technologies.” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth
Section 1. Purpose. The threat of attack by ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles, and other advanced aerial attacks, remains the most catastrophic threat facing the United States.
Section 2. Policy. To further the goal of peace through strength, it is the policy of the United States that:
(a) The United States will provide for the common defense of its citizens and the Nation by deploying and maintaining a next-generation missile defense shield;
(b) The United States will deter — and defend its citizens and critical infrastructure against — any foreign aerial attack on the Homeland; and
(c) The United States will guarantee its secure second-strike capability.
Section 3. Implementation. Within 60 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Defense shall:
(a) Submit to the President a reference architecture, capabilities-based requirements, and an implementation plan for the next-generation missile defense shield. The architecture shall include, at a minimum, plans for:
(i) Defense of the United States against ballistic, hypersonic, advanced cruise missiles, and other next-generation aerial attacks from peer, near-peer, and rogue adversaries;
(ii) Acceleration of the deployment of the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor layer;
(iii) Development and deployment of proliferated space-based interceptors capable of boost-phase intercept;
(iv) Deployment of underlayer and terminal-phase intercept capabilities postured to defeat a countervalue attack;
(v) Development and deployment of a custody layer of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture;
(vi) Development and deployment of capabilities to defeat missile attacks prior to launch and in the boost phase;
(vii) Development and deployment of a secure supply chain for all components with next-generation security and resilience features; and
(viii) Development and deployment of non-kinetic capabilities to augment the kinetic defeat of ballistic, hypersonic, advanced cruise missiles, and other next-generation aerial attacks;
(b) Review relevant authorities and organization of the Department of Defense to develop and deploy capabilities at the necessary speed to implement this directive;
(c) Jointly with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, submit to the President a plan to fund this directive, allowing sufficient time for consideration by the President before finalization of the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget; and
(d) In cooperation with United States Strategic Command and United States Northern Command, submit to the President:
(i) An updated assessment of the strategic missile threat to the Homeland; and
(ii) A prioritized set of locations to progressively defend against a countervalue attack by nuclear adversaries.
Section 4. Allied and Theater Missile Defense Review. The United States continues to cooperate on missile defense with its allies and partners to aid in the defense of ally populations and troops and of forward-deployed United States troops. Following the submission to the President of the next-generation missile defense reference architecture under section 3(a) of this order, the Secretary of Defense shall direct a review of theater missile defense posture and initiatives to identify ways in which the United States and its allies and partners can:
(a) Increase bilateral and multilateral cooperation on missile defense technology development, capabilities, and operations;
(b) Improve theater missile defenses of forward-deployed United States troops and allied territories, troops, and populations; and
(c) Increase and accelerate the provision of United States missile defense capabilities to allies and partners.
