WASHINGTON – Two Republican senators are throwing weight behind President Donald Trump’s ambitious plan for the next-generation missile defense shield that leverages space-based technology to combat evolving threats.
Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Kevin Cramer (RN.D.) introduced the Iron Dome Act on February 6, proposing $19.5 billion in 2026 to Trump’s A recent executive order, “We propose funding to implement the Iron Dome for Iron Domes, America.” The law includes $960 million for space-based technology.
The move comes days after Trump’s January 28th executive order. This makes the Pentagon a comprehensive missile defense system that relies heavily on space sensors to track hypernic missiles, such as the extreme missiles developed by China. was instructed to develop the Avoid traditional ground radar systems.
The funds proposed in the Senator’s bill are primarily allocated to existing missile defense programs and still require approving approves, which represents Congressional support for Trump’s vision.
The introduction to legislative works is not surprising given the track record of both senators. In particular, Cramer was the vocal champion of the Space Force Space Development Agency, which established a satellite ground station in his hometown at the Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota.
The technology behind the shield
The proposed missile defense system integrates space technology developed under various programs.
The missile defense agency’s polar and ballistic tracking space sensor (HBTSS) layer deploys a medium field of view camera designed to provide accurate missile tracing and targeting coordinates to the anti-missile interceptor.
The Space Development Agency’s multiplied fighter space architecture (PWSA) maintains continuous surveillance of enemy missile threats.
The most controversial part of the plan is seeking a space-based interceptor that can ingest missiles during the boost phase. This is a major escalation of space-based functionality.
There are technical hurdles ahead
Defense industry experts point to some of the challenges in implementing such an ambitious system. Eric Brown, a defense industry executive with experience in military space programs, highlighted the complexity of creating a seamless network of sensors interconnected to different orbital aircraft.
“The Pentagon has developed a lot of the technology needed for an iron dome, but perhaps the biggest technical challenge is sewing the fabric together,” Brown said.
A specific hurdle is adjusting assets from multiple institutions. “Some of these assets may come from the Space Force and Space Development Agency. Some of them may come from missile defense agencies. Some of them are the intelligence community It may come from,” Brown explained. “How do you cross all these rows to get a common manipulation image with sufficient fidelity that can actually act and take the target?”
Reagan’s Star Wars Red Dew
The push of the space-based interceptor echoes Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) (known as “Star Wars”) for 40 years. The programme faces criticism of its large price tag and is concerned about destabilizing relations with the Soviet Union and accelerating the weaponization of space.
However, analysts Tom Karako and Clayton Swope, Swope, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, in recent opinions, argues that there is no longer a technology and cost barrier where SDI is no longer present. They suggest that the Pentagon should outline its requirements and seek industry input to determine what is feasible in today’s landscape.
What’s next?
The path ahead of the iron dome remains complicated. The Pentagon has not yet released a budget proposal for 2026, and the Secretary of Defense is expected to develop a detailed implementation plan. The Missile Defense Agency on February 18th is scheduled to host “Industry Day” and evaluates the preparation of the various technologies needed to track and intercept hypersonic, ballistics and cruise missiles.
As Brown pointed out, the project will require unprecedented adjustments. “There are many different institutions that each try to grasp their work.” Trump’s executive order calls for “all government solutions from sensing to missile defeat,” setting the stage for a complex integrated challenge that tests the limitations of both technological and bureaucracy.
