US Army selects air defense unit for Golden Dome — Defense News
The US Army has selected an air defense unit that will support the Golden Dome for America missile shield project. Lt. Gen. John L. Rafferty, commander of the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command, confirmed this during the annual meeting of the Association of the United States Army, Defense News reports.
Rafferty did not disclose the unit’s name. According to him, it is a well-trained organization capable of carrying out tasks within Golden Dome after the systems are deployed. He noted that the project is intended to integrate sensors, interceptors, and command-and-control systems dispersed across the country.
A unified command system
Rafferty explained that current air defense systems are typically used in complexes that include a sensor, an interceptor, and a command-and-control component. Under the Golden Dome concept, these elements may operate in a more dispersed manner: the system is intended to allow the use of data from any sensor, the selection of the most effective interception asset, and the appropriate control system.
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Joint Task Force Gold, established in January as part of US Northern Command, is also involved in the preparations. The unit has about 100 personnel and is led by US Army officers. Its deputy commander, Col. Kevin Stonerook, said the group organizes planning exercises and coordinates the work of representatives from industry and government agencies, including on developing the project’s cyber capabilities.
Planning and funding
Since February, the task force has held a series of planning sessions in Colorado Springs attended by approximately 300 representatives of the Golden Dome stakeholder community. They worked on the concept for the system’s operational use and issues requiring further resolution. The next session was planned for late October.
Pentagon officials have said they intend to deploy an initial version of Golden Dome by the end of next year to ensure the shield is operational before the end of Donald Trump’s second presidential term. A more complete version of the system is planned by 2035. The Pentagon requested $17.5 billion for Golden Dome in fiscal year 2027 through a $350 billion budget reconciliation package, as well as about $400 million for research and development in the base budget request.
