WASHINGTON — Gen. Michael Guetlein, the Pentagon official running the Golden Dome missile defense program, pushed back on criticism that the initiative is unfolding behind a curtain of secrecy while companies are being asked to invest in advanced technologies with limited insight into program goals.
“I think our industry partners have a pretty good insight into what we’re doing,” Guetlein said Dec. 6 at the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley California. He appeared alongside Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Air Force Secretary Troy Meink, and Northrop Grumman CEO Kathy Warden.
Guetlein said his office has held extensive private engagements with industry. “I’ve met with well over 200 to 300 companies, one on one, to explain to them what we’re trying to do,” he said, arguing that transparency is occurring through those controlled channels rather than public symposia.
Golden Dome, established under a Trump administration executive issued in January, is intended to field a multi-layer homeland missile defense architecture integrating sensors, command and control, kinetic interceptors, as well as non-kinetic systems to counter advanced threats such as hypersonic glide vehicles, modern ballistic missiles, and fractional orbital bombardment systems.
A central feature is the reliance on space-based capabilities including kinetic interceptors and a high-speed space data transport layer meant to connect warning satellites, tracking sensors, command centers and interceptors in real time.
Guetlein repeated earlier assertions that the technical building blocks exist.
“This is not a technology problem,” he said, pointing instead to the challenge of integrating disparate capabilities into a coherent system of systems. He blamed long-standing acquisition processes for slowing progress and said newly directed reforms should remove “handcuffs” that have hindered integration across agencies and services.
Reporting directly to Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg, Guetlein said he has been granted wide authorities to draw resources from across the military. He described Golden Dome as a test case for closer industry partnerships but maintained that certain program details cannot be shared publicly because “there are likely people in that audience that I don’t want to know what we’re doing.”
He suggested the secrecy posture could shift in 2026. “I’m still hoping that we can start opening up dialog in the new year,” he said.
Fischer, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee, said she had no complaints about the level of disclosure to Congress despite the projected multi hundred billion dollar price tag. Decisions about when to release more information should rest with the Defense Department, she said.
Throughout the panel, speakers referenced the newly released political thriller “House of Dynamite,” which depicts senior officials responding to the launch of an unattributed intercontinental ballistic missile. Guetlein said such productions can help introduce the public to missile defense concepts even if “built for Hollywood,” and argued that the nation needs a broader conversation about deterrence and the capabilities required to maintain it.
Guetlein said the administration has directed the Pentagon to deliver an initial operational Golden Dome capability by summer 2028. “That will not be the final capability,” he said, but it would provide protection against advanced threats on that timeline. He said his office has delivered “a solid plan” and is “on a good trajectory.”
Hardware procurement will rely heavily on existing contract vehicles through the services, he said. On munitions, “we have already submitted our needs to the Department of War,” and on the space side, the Pentagon is weighing requirements for expanded transport, sensing, missile warning, and tracking capabilities. Golden Dome is designed to remain lean by leveraging other services’ and agencies’ contracts, he added.
18 teams to compete for space-based interceptor prize money
The Space Force is already moving on interceptor procurement. On Nov. 25, Space Systems Command awarded prototype demonstration agreements for space-based interceptors through Other Transaction Agreements. The Pentagon has not disclosed the winning contractors, and Guetlein said 18 agreements were awarded.
The prototype effort spans boost phase and hypersonic glide-phase intercept concepts, as well as ground systems and fire control software.
According to individuals familiar with the program, the 18 selected teams have entered a multi-year competition structured as a gated series of demonstrations with nearly $3 billion in prize funding.
Vendors receive limited base funding and earn larger payouts only by meeting performance milestones. Final winners must conduct an on-orbit kinetic intercept while integrated into the ground and fire-control architecture.
The structure places greater financial and execution responsibility on participating companies. This approach may advantage firms with the resources and launch access to stay competitive through the multi-year phases, while also creating an opening for newcomers that are not part of the traditional missile defense industrial base.
