Why Golden Dome Demands a Reimagined and Revitalized Industrial Base

For most of its history, the United States has been largely insulated from foreign threats. Vast oceans made it an impractical destination for invading armies before the advent of modern aviation and ballistics. And even now, its size and relative distance from adversaries are logistical deterrents.

But threats are evolving fast.

Next-generation missiles and long-range drones can bypass geographic barriers that once seemed impenetrable. North Korea, for example, has already developed intercontinental ballistic missiles with enough range to reach the continental United States, according to the Defense Intelligence Agency. China and Russia have the same capabilities, with nearly 900 intercontinental ballistic missiles between them. And then there are new hypersonic weapons that can travel faster than the speed of sound.

In the face of these threats, the United States needs new infrastructure. President Donald Trump issued an executive order in 2025 calling for the development of a comprehensive missile defense system in the mold of Israel’s Iron Dome. Dubbed the “Golden Dome for America,” the space-enabled system will use advanced satellites and sensors to deter, detect and destroy incoming hypersonic and ballistic missiles aimed at the United States.

“Golden Dome is the decisive response to a new era of threats,” Gen. Mike Guetlein, director of Golden Dome for America, said at an April event. “We are moving with purpose and urgency to forge a shield that is layered, integrated and automated.”

But at least one roadblock threatens to restrain the program: America’s outdated industrial base.

“With reductions and consolidation in the defense supply chain, a lot of the really critical capabilities that our nation once had are no longer there,” said Matt Magaña, president of space, defense, and national security at Voyager Technologies.  “If we want to develop something like the Golden Dome, we have to address all the problems in our supply chain that have arisen over time, and we have to do it on a timetable that is extremely fast. We have to rebuild our industrial base and put it back to where it needs to be.”

Infrastructure vs. Innovation

Golden Dome isn’t a single solution. Rather, it’s a system of systems that includes “constellations of satellite-based tracking and discrimination platforms to detect missile launches in real time; kinetic interceptors based in space, at sea and on land; directed energy systems, such as high-powered lasers, for boost-phase intercepts; [and] artificial intelligence integration for faster sensor-to-shooter linkages,” the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation reported in a 2025 Golden Dome fact sheet.

The United States already knows how to build everything the Golden Dome requires. But its manufacturing capabilities have eroded through decades of consolidation and offshoring, and it no longer has the capacity, Magaña said.

The nation’s strained defense industrial base isn’t missing innovation. Instead, it lacks infrastructure.

“Most of what we have to figure out is not technology. What the nation is missing is scale, speed and affordability,” Magaña said. He cited gaps in America’s ability to produce mission-critical products such as solid rocket motors, electronics components and propulsion chemicals. “The reality is, we need to be able to manufacture the things we need, when we need them and in the quantities that we require. And right now, that’s difficult.”

Opportunities to revamp and replenish the industrial base are especially pronounced in the space sector. Magaña said that’s especially important because of the vital role of space-based assets in the Golden Dome architecture — including autonomous and adaptive AI-powered satellites that are capable of precise maneuverability, low-signature detection and secure on-orbit data processing.

“The game now is proliferation and getting the right mix of assets in space to go do the mission,” Magaña said. He pointed to the shift from a small number of large satellites to a large number of small satellites. “That requires increasing production volumes and investing in the industrial base so it can grow with the mission and offer more affordable space solutions.”

The Promise of ‘Neo-Prime’ Partnerships

Policymakers and government leaders can take a series of steps to support a resilient and sovereign supply chain. That includes:

• cultivating long-term contracts,
• embracing multi-year funding approaches and
• establishing predictable procurement cycles that give suppliers the confidence they need to invest in new facilities, workforce pipelines and production automation.

But government alone cannot rebuild the defense industrial base, Magaña said. What’s needed, he added, is an ecosystem in which traditional primes, commercial space companies, tech startups and universities are willing participants in partnerships based on mutual benefit.

Consider Starlab, the commercial space station that’s being developed jointly by Voyager Technologies, Airbus, Mitsubishi, MDA Space and Northrop Grumman, among others.

“The International Space Station will be decommissioned sometime soon. We need to replenish that capability to keep us in low Earth orbit, but it’s not going to be the typical NASA-funded project that takes 30 years to build,” Magaña said. “Starlab is a joint venture of different companies that are combining their individual superpowers, the sum of which can bring to bear for NASA, the nation and our international allies a better capability, at a better price and on a faster timeline.”

At the heart of this “neo-prime” model are public-private partnerships and new business structures “that allow us to bring the best of the best to the table, bring capital markets to bear around that, and jointly deliver real mission capability,” Magaña said. “That’s the way of the future. And it’s the only way we can get something like Golden Dome done, because there’s no one company that can do all the things that Golden Dome requires.”

Reporting from SpaceNews contributed to this story.