The U.S. Army is positioning personnel and organizations to support what is expected to be a critical year of testing and development for the Golden Dome for America missile shield. The work is unfolding as the service builds its newly populated Space Operations Branch and expands support for the joint force space mission.

Lt. Gen. John L. Rafferty, commanding general of U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, discussed the effort with reporters at the Association of the United States Army’s annual meeting last week. He confirmed that an Army air defense unit had been “earmarked” to support Golden Dome.

Rafferty declined to identify the selected unit, but he described it as prepared for the assignment. The organization is “a well-trained organization that we know can meet the demands of Golden Dome for America when the systems are fielded,” he said.

Current air defense systems across the joint force are generally organized in combined packages featuring a sensor, an interceptor and a command and control package. Rafferty described Golden Dome as an opportunity to separate some of those elements while connecting command and control systems that can operate together across the United States.

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“So now, as you array sensors and interceptors and C2 platforms across the country, you can use any sensor, best shooter, right C2, in that disaggregated way,” Rafferty said. That approach would draw upon Army formations and personnel already experienced in air defense operations.

“So we believe that right now … we have the most experienced air defense and combat-seasoned air defense formations in the world [and] we have the right people with the right experience to manage the system when they get here, with some training,” Rafferty said.

Joint Task Force Gold is also moving deeper into Golden Dome preparations through planning drills and gatherings of participating organizations. The task force is a 100 member unit established in January under U.S. Northern Command, led by Army officers.

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Col. Kevin “Stoney” Stonerook, deputy commander of the task force, said its work includes bringing together vendors, government agencies and other participants. “We are helping put together the team of teams, all the different stakeholder communities, be that vendors and other government agencies, to really provide a cyber warfare capability for GDA,” he said.

The task force also expects to participate in establishing sites as Golden Dome is developed across the country and in other areas. Its responsibilities include efforts to integrate capabilities through the system’s multiple layers, though Stonerook acknowledged that major questions remain unanswered.

“We definitely know that we are involved in putting together some of the sites as we look at building out GDA across the country and other areas, and trying to integrate all those capabilities across the multiple layers of GDA, but there’s a lot we still have to figure out,” Stonerook said.

Beginning in February, the task force hosted a series of planning “sprints” involving about 300 members of the Golden Dome stakeholder community in Colorado Springs. Those sessions focused on developing a concept of operations for the project and identifying unresolved questions.

The next planning sprint was scheduled for the end of October. Stonerook said the continuing process was intended to focus the work of JTF-Gold’s personnel and the wider group of organizations participating in Golden Dome preparations.

“We’re continuing to find out more and help focus the efforts of not just the JTF-Gold 100-plus personnel, but all the rest of the stakeholder communities to really focus on those questions needing to be answered for … operationalization,” he said.

Pentagon officials have said they want to field an early version of Golden Dome by the end of next year. The stated goal is an operational shield by the end of President Donald Trump’s second term, followed by a more fully realized version built out by 2035.

Lawmakers from both parties have expressed frustration over slow progress and inconsistent communication from the White House about the ambitious and expensive project. Funding disputes could also complicate the path ahead for the missile shield.

The Pentagon requested $17.5 billion for Golden Dome in fiscal 2027 through a $350 billion reconciliation package. It also requested just about $400 million in research and development funding for the project through the base budget request.

Air and Space Forces Magazine reported in September that disagreement over passage of the reconciliation bill could put most of the project’s funding in jeopardy. Even with those questions hanging over the program, Rafferty said the Army remains fully committed to supporting its development.

“I really try to draw no distinction between [Army Space and Missile Defense Command] and JTF-Gold,” Rafferty said. “It’s going to take all of us to help enable the defense of the homeland through Golden Dome for America, and it is SMDC’s No. 1 priority to protect the homeland. So we’re all in to help to deliver that.”

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