Golden Dome

Golden Dome is the United States' conceptual framework for a layered national missile and counter-drone defence architecture, encompassing space-based sensors, directed-energy systems, and kinetic interceptors. The FY2026 Pentagon budget allocated $24.4 billion for missile defence, including a $10 billion increase specifically targeting Golden Dome's acceleration.

The initiative gained operational relevance during Iran's drone campaign from February 2026, when 4,446 drones and 1,725 missiles were launched against US allies in the Gulf. Golden Dome's integration with JIATF-401 — the Pentagon's counter-drone task force — was confirmed in March 2026, with JIATF-401 set to share counter-drone data with the national missile defence architecture for Group 3 and larger unmanned systems. Lattice, Anduril's AI command platform, is JIATF-401's designated Counter-UAS backbone.

Golden Dome represents the Pentagon's attempt to close the gap between missile defence (designed for ballistic threats) and the mass-drone tactics demonstrated by Iran, Russia, and Houthi forces. The $10 billion increase signals that policymakers have concluded drone threats now qualify as a national-level missile defence concern rather than a tactical battlefield problem.