WASHINGTON — Two Republican senators are throwing their weight behind President Donald Trump’s ambitious plan for a next-generation missile defense shield that would leverage space-based technology to counter evolving threats.
Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) introduced the “Iron Dome Act” on Feb. 6, proposing $19.5 billion in funding for fiscal year 2026 to implement Trump’s recent executive order dubbed “Iron Dome for America.” The legislation includes $960 million for space-based technologies.
The move comes just days after Trump’s Jan. 28 executive order, which directed the Pentagon to develop a comprehensive missile defense system heavily reliant on space sensors for tracking hypersonic missiles — like those being developed by China — which fly at extremely high speeds and can maneuver to evade traditional ground-based radar systems.
While the funding proposed in the senators’ bill is largely allocated to existing missile defense programs and still requires appropriations approval, it represents a congressional endorsement of Trump’s vision.
The legislation’s introduction isn’t surprising given both senators’ track records. Cramer, in particular, has been a vocal champion of the Space Force’s Space Development Agency, which established satellite ground stations in his home state at Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota.
Technology behind the shield
The proposed missile defense system would integrate space technologies being developed under different programs.
The Missile Defense Agency’s Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS) layer would deploy medium-field-of-view cameras designed to provide precise missile tracking and targeting coordinates to anti-missile interceptors.
The Space Development Agency’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) would maintain continuous monitoring of enemy missile threats.
The most controversial piece of the plan calls for space-based…
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