The Iron Dome for America
The order directs the Secretary of Defense to develop a plan for a next-generation missile defense shield — dubbed an 'Iron Dome for America' — capable of intercepting ballistic, hypersonic, and advanced cruise missiles from peer adversaries, and to deliver that plan, a threat assessment, and a proposed funding strategy to the President within 60 days.
It sets a new national policy of defending the entire homeland against all foreign aerial attacks, expanding significantly beyond prior policy, which targeted only rogue-state threats and accidental launches.
What this order does
What it orders
The order declares it U.S. policy to deploy and maintain a next-generation missile defense shield protecting all citizens and critical infrastructure against any foreign aerial attack. It directs the Secretary of Defense, within 60 days, to submit to the President: a reference architecture and implementation plan for the shield; a review of relevant Department of Defense authorities and organizational structure; a joint funding plan with the OMB Director timed for the FY 2026 budget; and an updated strategic missile threat assessment and prioritized list of locations to defend against a countervalue nuclear attack.
The architecture must address space-based tracking and interceptor layers, boost-phase intercept, non-kinetic defeat capabilities, and supply chain security. After the architecture is submitted, the Secretary of Defense must also conduct a review of theater missile defense posture and allied cooperation. The order does not itself build or fund any system; all operative impact depends on subsequent plans, budget decisions, and appropriations.
Who it affects
The Department of Defense and its internal commands are the primary directed actors. Allied nations and partner countries are affected by the theater missile defense review. Ultimately, the order is aimed at protecting all U.S. citizens and critical infrastructure from missile threats.
Why it matters
If the 60-day plans are approved and funded, the U.S. would shift from a limited missile defense posture targeting rogue states to a comprehensive shield against major-power threats — a substantial change in defense spending priorities and military architecture that would affect contractors, allied defense relationships, and federal budgets for years.
What must happen and when
How the order is supposed to work
The order works in two stages. First, within 60 days, the Secretary of Defense and OMB Director jointly submit architecture, threat assessments, prioritized defense locations, and a funding plan to the President — all sequenced tightly enough to influence the FY 2026 budget. Second, once that architecture is received, the Secretary triggers a theater missile defense review with allies. No action is self-executing; everything depends on presidential approval of the plans and congressional appropriations. The order contains standard severability and no-private-right-of-action clauses.
Actions and deadlines
- Submit reference architecture, capabilities-based requirements, and implementation plan for next-generation missile defense shield to the President
- Review relevant DoD authorities and organizational structure needed to develop and deploy capabilities at required speed
- Jointly with OMB Director, submit a funding plan for the missile defense directive, timed for FY 2026 budget consideration
- Submit updated strategic missile threat assessment to the Homeland to the President
- Submit prioritized list of locations to progressively defend against a countervalue nuclear attack
- Direct a review of theater missile defense posture and allied cooperation initiatives