The President’s Inbox The Golden Dome Missile Defense System, With Todd Harrison
Sep 16, 2025
Todd Harrison, a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, dives into the complexities of the proposed Golden Dome Missile Defense System. He discusses its multi-layered approach and the feasibility of innovative space-based interceptors. With comparisons to Israel's Iron Dome, Todd reveals critical differences in defense strategies. The conversation also highlights geopolitical implications, especially with nations like Russia and China. Additionally, Todd addresses emerging threats, including drones, underscoring the need for advanced national defense strategies.
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Ambitious Multilayer Homeland Defense
- The Golden Dome aims to be a multilayer homeland air and missile defense including space-based boost-phase interceptors.
- It targets peer threats like Russia and China as well as rogue states, making it more ambitious than past U.S. defenses.
Israel's Iron Dome Isn't A U.S. Model
- Iron Dome defends a small country against short- and medium-range rockets, not long-range ICBMs or hypersonics.
- The U.S. homeland faces very different, longer-range, higher-altitude threats requiring more complex defenses.
Why Boost-Phase Looks Attractive But Is Hard
- Boost phase is when a missile's booster fires and is bright and easier to track before warhead release.
- But boost-phase windows are very short, making intercepts technically hard and time-critical.