WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force has assembled a team of technical experts to support the Trump administration’s Iron Dome missile-defense initiative. This “integrated planning team” brings wide-ranging expertise that will be critical in laying out the missile-shield architecture to defend the U.S. homeland from missile threats, the Space Force’s chief of space operations Gen. Chance Saltzman told reporters Feb. 24.
“We are leaning forward establishing this technical IPT to start thinking about it from an overarching perspective,” Saltzman said.
The “Iron Dome for America” executive order, signed by President Donald Trump on January 27, directs Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to submit a comprehensive plan detailing the architecture, requirements, and implementation strategy for a missile defense system. A notable aspect of the directive is the emphasis on space-based sensors and space-based interceptors.
The Missile Defense Agency, which oversees the nation’s existing missile defense shield, has taken the lead in organizing meetings with the defense industry to assess the state of the technology.
The Space Development Agency, an organization under the Space Force, is acquiring hundreds of satellites for a proliferated network of missile-tracking sensors in low Earth orbit that would be part of the Iron Dome.
Given the future system’s heavy reliance on space assets, “I think we have a central role to play,” Saltzman said.
Trump’s executive order says the United States needs a multi-layer defense against advanced missile threats, including ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles. The administration argues that an advanced missile shield would deter adversaries like Russia and China from leveraging their missile capabilities for coercion.
Meanwhile, some experts question the technical feasibility and financial viability of implementing a nationwide missile defense system akin to Israel’s Iron Dome, which is designed for short-range threats.
The Department of Defense analysis, which must be completed in the coming weeks, will identify which existing programs directly support Iron Dome requirements and where gaps might exist that would require research and development efforts. One specific area highlighted in the executive order is the exploration of deploying missile interceptors in orbit.
