As missile and hypersonic threats proliferate from rogue states, near-peer adversaries, and non-state actors, there is an urgent need for a robust, sustainable missile defense.
As President Trump has observed, a “Golden Dome” missile shield, drawing inspiration from Israel’s Iron Dome, must be significantly scaled up to meet U.S. and allied needs — which demands both technical excellence and political will.
To succeed, we must heed the lessons of past efforts, particularly the fate of the circa 1992 Strategic Defense Initiative’s (SDI) “Brilliant Pebbles” and Directed Energy (DE) defenses … especially by harnessing today’s commercial innovation.
SDI Brilliant Pebbles: Feasible 3 Decades Ago, Cancelled by Politics
As reported in numerous previous Newsmax articles, Brilliant Pebbles (a network of small, autonomous space-based interceptors) was technically validated by independent scientific reviews. (Critical reviews by the JASON group of preeminent scientists and engineers and several defense science boards found no insurmountable technical barriers, and anticipated advances in miniaturization and propulsion made the concept feasible and scalable—all over 30 years ago.)
Yet, despite its promise, Brilliant Pebbles was cancelled . . . not because of any technical failure or prohibitive cost, but due to the power of politics.
Thus, the appointed leader of the effort to develop the Global Dome, Gen. Guetlein, recently got it right when he said “American technology and capabilities exist today to build the Golden Dome. The technology exists today.
However, the capabilities are spread across multiple [Defense Department] services, agencies and stovepipes. Golden Dome is not [as much] a technological challenge as it is an organization behavior challenge … Golden Dome will require the defense industrial base to expand and to change behaviors.” (Aviation Week, 8 Jul 2025).
Contrary to “allegedly informed” political pundits who claim otherwise, 30 years of advancing technology including ten times lower launch costs, proliferating smallsat technology, extensive high-speed intercept demonstrations, and billions of commercial space innovation have dramatically reduced the technical risk and cost of space-based missile defenses.
Indeed, the risk of technical failure is trivial next to the political risk from those who would sacrifice the lives of every American simply to retain power.
Feasible Space-Based Kinetic Defenses Within Trump’s Presidency
Ground-based missile defenses, while valuable, are expensive and logistically complex. Achieving global coverage would require thousands of interceptors, immense worldwide infrastructure, and prohibitive costs. In contrast, space-based kinetic interceptors offer two decisive advantages:
Cost Efficiency: Space-based interceptors, free from the need for heavy boosters to escape Earth’s gravity, are up to ten times lighter … and at far lower-cost than ground-based systems slashing manufacturing and deployment costs.
Global, Rapid Response: At Mach 25 orbital speeds, space-based interceptors can traverse global distances in minutes, enabling response to missile threats anywhere on Earth and providing persistent, overlapping coverage that ground-based interceptors cannot match.
Reviving the spirit of Brilliant Pebbles—updated with today’s technological and commercial advances—offers a path to an affordable, effective missile defense shield. Moreover, the $25 Billion already appropriated for the Global Dome should be sufficient to begin deploying a modern Brilliant Pebbles during President Trump’s administration.
Saying No to Government Only: Harness Commercial Innovation!
To accomplish this objective, Global Dome development efforts need not — and should not — be a government-only endeavor.
The commercial space and tech sectors have revolutionized launch costs, low-cost small satellite manufacturing, sensor technology, artificial intelligence, and increasingly orbital maneuver and servicing.
Leveraging these advances wherever practical can drive down costs, accelerate deployment, and inject much-needed agility into the defense acquisition process.
The government’s role should be to set requirements, ensure security, and foster competition — not to replicate what industry already does well.
Directed Energy: Invest in the Future
While kinetic interceptors are essential — especially in the near term, successful missile defenses require the development of directed energy (DE) defenses—e.g., lasers and/or particle beams to disable threats at the speed-of-light as soon as they are observed.
Such DE systems offer unique advantages: virtually unlimited “ammunition,” rapid retargeting, and the ability to counter swarms of missiles or drones simultaneously.
These technologies in various basing modes, and the advanced power systems they require, will not mature overnight.
Thus, consistent long-term investment is critical to move from promising concepts to reliable, scalable second-generation defenses.
The $175 Billion called for in current plans should be sufficient to make major progress toward meeting that objective.
Synergy with Space Force: Building for the Future
Finally, the Golden Dome should not be built in isolation. The U.S. Space Force is already investing in dynamic space operations . . . on-orbit maneuver, refueling, and infrastructure that ensures protection and freedom of action in space.
By designing missile defense systems that share platforms, logistics, and command-and-control with these broader space operations, we can achieve unprecedented economies of scale.
This synergy means every dollar spent on Golden Dome infrastructure also strengthens our ability to protect satellites, deter adversaries, and support global communications and navigation. It’s a force multiplier in the truest sense.
Conclusion: A Call for Smart, Sustainable Security
The fate of Brilliant Pebbles highlights that technical viability is not enough . . . sustained leadership, clear priorities, and political consistency are essential.
By learning from past missteps and embracing new technology and commercial innovation, the U.S. can deploy a “Golden Dome” missile shield that aligns with the Space Force need for dynamic space operations and offers smart, affordable, and enduring missile defense . . . starting as soon as 2028. If we do so, we will not only protect our nation and allies . . . we will set a new standard for smart, sustainable security in the 21st century.
(Jess Sponable has held various positions in the aerospace industry, including serving as president and CTO at New Frontier Aerospace, Inc. Prior to this, he’s worked as a consulting and systems engineer, a program manager – focusing on advanced space systems as well as hypersonic flight.)
Ambassador Henry F. Cooper was President Reagan’s Chief Defense and Space Negotiator with the Soviet Union and SDI Director under President George HW Bush. Jess Sponable, a retired USAF officer was Program Manager of the award winning SDI Clipper Graham Single-Stage-to-Orbit program and several other Air Force Research Laboratory and DARPA programs. For other articles by Ambassador Cooper, click here.
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