4 August 2025

The Missing Piece of Golden Dome

Paul Ostrowski

The Ukrainian drone strikes during Operation Spider’s Web, reaching deep into Russian territory and destroying $7 billion worth of aircraft, and Mossad’s covert use of pre-positioned explosive drones to disable Iranian air defenses ahead of Israel’s Operation Rising Lion strike are the latest examples of how drones are being used to destroy military targets and critical infrastructure once thought safe from enemy attack. This escalating reality, underscored by recent panic around drone activity near sensitive sites in New Jersey, Air Force Plant 42, and Langley AFB, should serve as a wake-up call.

the United States must prioritise and invest in domestic defence systems that go beyond traditional missile interception. As the U.S. defence industry rallies behind the Trump Administration’s ambitious Golden Dome program, intended to create a comprehensive air defence shield across the United States, drone threats must be holistically addressed. Golden Dome’s success will depend on its ability to counter all forms of aerial threats, including the growing danger posed by drones.

To stay ahead of this evolving threat landscape, the Department of Defense must adopt a holistic approach to Golden Dome that reflects the realities of modern warfare. While interceptors on the ground and in space, along with the launch detection and tracking satellites that guide them, are essential for stopping intercontinental ballistic missiles, Golden Dome will fall short if it cannot also defend city centers, missile batteries, critical infrastructure, and sensitive military installations from drone incursions. 

The Trump Administration seems to be aligned on this as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth emphasized that an effective Golden Dome must “protect the homeland from cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles, [and] drones,” and in June, President Trump signed an executive order specifically noting drones as a growing threat. Now, we need to make sure it happens. It is time to bring the conversation back to Earth and make counter-drone technologies, particularly high-power microwave (HPM) systems, a central layer in this national defense architecture.

No comments: