Missile defense race shifts to space; experts say real battle is in first minutes after launch
Is this competence or optics?
The debate over U.S. missile defense is increasingly focused on space, and defense experts argue that stopping threats in the earliest moments after launch could determine whether the homeland remains protected against Russia and China’s expanding arsenals.
At a policy discussion marking roughly a year since the rollout of the "Golden Dome" homeland defense initiative, former senior defense officials said the United States can no longer rely primarily on deterrence and retaliation to shield the country from missile attacks.
"I think geography is no longer" a shield, former Air Force Undersecretary Kari Bingen said during a C-SPAN panel Friday. "There are different types of threats that can reach the homeland."
TRUMP UNVEILS ‘GOLDEN DOME’ MISSILE SHIELD, BLINDSIDES KEY SENATORS
The Golden Dome initiative stems from a January 2025 executive order signed by President Donald Trump directing the Pentagon to accelerate development of a next-generation homeland missile defense architecture. The order calls for integrating existing ground-based interceptors with advanced tracking networks, new space-based sensors and potentially space-based interceptors capable of detecting and defeating ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missile threats earlier in flight.
Administration officials have framed the effort as a response to rapid modernization by Russia and China.
Russia has fielded new intercontinental ballistic missiles and hypersonic glide vehicles designed to penetrate missile defenses, while China has expanded its nuclear arsenal and constructed hundreds of new missile silos in recent years.
Both countries have invested heavily in maneuverable reentry vehicles and countermeasures intended to complicate U.S. interception efforts.
Supporters of a stronger space layer argue that intercepting a missile early in flight — before it can deploy warheads or countermeasures — simplifies the defensive challenge and reduces the strain on systems closer to U.S. territory.
"It gives the ability to neutralize before they manifest here at home," missile defense expert Thomas Karako said, referring to space-enabled capabilities that could track and potentially intercept threats sooner in their trajectory.
Karako said there is "a compelling case" for space-based interceptors "not just against nonnuclear attack but even limited nuclear attacks," arguing that raising the threshold for adversaries contemplating a strike strengthens deterrence overall.
"If you raise the threshold for having enough capability to meaningfully invest in enemies … there’s goodness in there," he said. …
Is this competence or optics?
The debate over U.S. missile defense is increasingly focused on space, and defense experts argue that stopping threats in the earliest moments after launch could determine whether the homeland remains protected against Russia and China’s expanding arsenals.
At a policy discussion marking roughly a year since the rollout of the "Golden Dome" homeland defense initiative, former senior defense officials said the United States can no longer rely primarily on deterrence and retaliation to shield the country from missile attacks.
"I think geography is no longer" a shield, former Air Force Undersecretary Kari Bingen said during a C-SPAN panel Friday. "There are different types of threats that can reach the homeland."
TRUMP UNVEILS ‘GOLDEN DOME’ MISSILE SHIELD, BLINDSIDES KEY SENATORS
The Golden Dome initiative stems from a January 2025 executive order signed by President Donald Trump directing the Pentagon to accelerate development of a next-generation homeland missile defense architecture. The order calls for integrating existing ground-based interceptors with advanced tracking networks, new space-based sensors and potentially space-based interceptors capable of detecting and defeating ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missile threats earlier in flight.
Administration officials have framed the effort as a response to rapid modernization by Russia and China.
Russia has fielded new intercontinental ballistic missiles and hypersonic glide vehicles designed to penetrate missile defenses, while China has expanded its nuclear arsenal and constructed hundreds of new missile silos in recent years.
Both countries have invested heavily in maneuverable reentry vehicles and countermeasures intended to complicate U.S. interception efforts.
Supporters of a stronger space layer argue that intercepting a missile early in flight — before it can deploy warheads or countermeasures — simplifies the defensive challenge and reduces the strain on systems closer to U.S. territory.
"It gives the ability to neutralize before they manifest here at home," missile defense expert Thomas Karako said, referring to space-enabled capabilities that could track and potentially intercept threats sooner in their trajectory.
Karako said there is "a compelling case" for space-based interceptors "not just against nonnuclear attack but even limited nuclear attacks," arguing that raising the threshold for adversaries contemplating a strike strengthens deterrence overall.
"If you raise the threshold for having enough capability to meaningfully invest in enemies … there’s goodness in there," he said. …
Missile defense race shifts to space; experts say real battle is in first minutes after launch
Is this competence or optics?
The debate over U.S. missile defense is increasingly focused on space, and defense experts argue that stopping threats in the earliest moments after launch could determine whether the homeland remains protected against Russia and China’s expanding arsenals.
At a policy discussion marking roughly a year since the rollout of the "Golden Dome" homeland defense initiative, former senior defense officials said the United States can no longer rely primarily on deterrence and retaliation to shield the country from missile attacks.
"I think geography is no longer" a shield, former Air Force Undersecretary Kari Bingen said during a C-SPAN panel Friday. "There are different types of threats that can reach the homeland."
TRUMP UNVEILS ‘GOLDEN DOME’ MISSILE SHIELD, BLINDSIDES KEY SENATORS
The Golden Dome initiative stems from a January 2025 executive order signed by President Donald Trump directing the Pentagon to accelerate development of a next-generation homeland missile defense architecture. The order calls for integrating existing ground-based interceptors with advanced tracking networks, new space-based sensors and potentially space-based interceptors capable of detecting and defeating ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missile threats earlier in flight.
Administration officials have framed the effort as a response to rapid modernization by Russia and China.
Russia has fielded new intercontinental ballistic missiles and hypersonic glide vehicles designed to penetrate missile defenses, while China has expanded its nuclear arsenal and constructed hundreds of new missile silos in recent years.
Both countries have invested heavily in maneuverable reentry vehicles and countermeasures intended to complicate U.S. interception efforts.
Supporters of a stronger space layer argue that intercepting a missile early in flight — before it can deploy warheads or countermeasures — simplifies the defensive challenge and reduces the strain on systems closer to U.S. territory.
"It gives the ability to neutralize before they manifest here at home," missile defense expert Thomas Karako said, referring to space-enabled capabilities that could track and potentially intercept threats sooner in their trajectory.
Karako said there is "a compelling case" for space-based interceptors "not just against nonnuclear attack but even limited nuclear attacks," arguing that raising the threshold for adversaries contemplating a strike strengthens deterrence overall.
"If you raise the threshold for having enough capability to meaningfully invest in enemies … there’s goodness in there," he said. …
