Sponsors (28)
Official title: To improve the missile defense capabilities of the United States, and for other purposes.
Introduced June 24, 2025 by Mark B. Messmer · Last progress June 24, 2025
The bill accelerates and centralizes U.S. homeland missile, space-sensor, and UAS defenses—delivering faster capability and industrial benefits—but does so with large taxpayer costs, concentrated authorities and reduced oversight, increased space vulnerability, and risks to transparency and civil liberties.
All Americans (taxpayers, urban and rural communities) — stronger homeland protection from accelerated RDT&E and faster deployment of layered missile and unmanned‑system defenses (interceptors, radars, space sensors) against ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic threats.
Military personnel and taxpayers — improved early warning and faster threat response thanks to investments in space-based sensors, integrated sensor architectures, upgraded command-and-control, and AI/ML fusion.
Federal employees, defense contractors, and taxpayers — faster procurement and fielding by treating eligible products as 'commercial solutions', using direct-acquisition authorities, and leveraging commercial space, which can shorten timelines and reduce some costs.
Taxpayers — large near‑term and long‑term costs (including a reported $23.0B FY2026 increase) for interceptors, space vehicles, radars, construction, and sustainment that could raise deficits or crowd out other priorities.
Taxpayers, federal employees, and the public — accelerated authorities, procurement exemptions, and waiver powers reduce oversight, transparency, and judicial review, increasing risk of rushed procurements, cost overruns, and fielding immature technologies.
Congressional defense committees, federal employees, and military personnel — concentrating authority in a single Program Manager and tying broad authorities to the Secretary risks weakened congressional oversight, sidestepped acquisition/testing processes, and accountability gaps.
Based on analysis of 7 sections of legislative text.
Creates a Golden Dome homeland missile/unmanned-systems defense architecture, grants broad acquisition authority, expands DoD UAS powers, and funds $23.0B for FY2026 programs.
Provides $23.0 billion for FY2026 and directs the Department of Defense to create and rapidly field a unified, all-domain homeland missile and unmanned-systems defense architecture called “Golden Dome.” It creates a senior Golden Dome Program Manager with broad acquisition authorities, requires a one-year strategy for layered sensors and integrated command-and-control from seafloor to space, strengthens DoD authorities to counter unmanned aircraft threats, protects the space industrial base by requiring competition for critical space systems, and earmarks funding for specific missile-defense sensors, interceptors, radars, and related R&D and procurement.