The USC SHIELD Executive Program in Global Space and Deterrence wrapped up its fourth cohort this past weekend with a series of high-impact capstone briefings, delivered by some of the most promising senior military and civilian minds across the Department of Defense. These final presentations weren’t just academic exercises—they were bold, timely proposals aligned with today’s most pressing national security challenges. From homeland missile defense to space resiliency and the future of joint force structure, this year’s capstones didn’t pull any punches.
Throughout the weekend, students briefed a distinguished panel of national security leaders with deep operational, policy, and technical experience. In the room were General Michael Guetlein of the U.S. Space Force, LTG Sean Gainey of the U.S. Army, Brig Gen Anthony Mastalir of U.S. Space Force, and Rear Adm (Ret) Mark Montgomery of the U.S. Navy. They were joined by John Rood, former Undersecretary of Defense; Vic Mercado, former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans, and Capabilities; USC Viterbi professor and National Medal of Technology and Innovation awardee Neil Siegel; and MDAA Founder Riki Ellison. These leaders didn’t just listen—they engaged, questioned, and in many cases encouraged teams to take their ideas forward.
The five SHIELD capstone teams brought forward proposals that couldn’t be more relevant to today’s strategic environment. One team focused on leveraging advanced modeling and simulation to accelerate space and missile defense training. Another offered a roadmap to a more adaptive and resilient space architecture—one that can actually keep pace with the threat. A third team tackled the challenge of energy resilience in the Indo-Pacific, proposing a flexible framework for enabling island defense. There was also a thoughtful analysis of the benefits and challenges of establishing a Space National Guard. And finally, a forward-leaning team delivered sharp, actionable recommendations for the next Missile Defense Review—explicitly linking their work to the recently announced “Golden Dome” initiative.
This emphasis on homeland defense was no coincidence. The “Golden Dome,” an executive-level call to build a layered and integrated missile defense shield for the U.S., provided the perfect backdrop for this year’s cohort. Many of the recommendations offered by SHIELD students not only supported this national priority, but anticipated it. It’s not just theory—SHIELD capstones from past years have found their way into legislation, policy reviews, and national strategy documents. There’s no reason to believe this year will be any different.
The weekend marked the culmination of eight months of learning, collaboration, and real-world engagement. As with previous years, students came from across the military services and DoD civilian workforce—25 in total—representing a powerful cross-section of experience and insight. Along the way, they traveled to Vandenberg Space Force Base, SpaceWERX, and Capitol Hill, each visit sharpening their understanding of the intersection between technology, policy, and warfighter needs.
The SHIELD Executive Program continues to grow as a premier model of public-private-academic collaboration. Run jointly by the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, the USC Price School of Public Policy, and the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, the program remains laser-focused on preparing the national security enterprise for the challenges of tomorrow.
As we close out another exceptional year, there’s an undeniable sense of momentum. The bar has been raised—and with Cohort 5 already on the horizon, there’s every reason to believe the best is still to come.
