Daijiworld Media Network – Washington

Washington, Nov 21: President Donald Trump’s ambitious Golden Dome missile defense programme is facing significant setbacks, with delays stemming from the 43-day government shutdown and the absence of a detailed plan to utilise the first USD 25 billion allocated for the project this summer, multiple sources told Reuters.

Industry officials, administration insiders and a US official — all speaking on condition of anonymity due to the classified nature of the programme — said the shutdown stalled hiring and diverted key personnel away from contract approvals. More critically, the nearly USD 25 billion budgeted under this year’s reconciliation package has yet to be converted into a formal spending blueprint.

The delays threaten Trump’s promise that the USD 175 billion missile shield would be ready to protect the continental US by 2028. “I don't think they have made a lot of progress, but I don't think it's going horribly,” a US official said.

Reuters spoke to more than a dozen sources across the administration, Pentagon, Capitol Hill and the defence sector, revealing deep concerns about the programme’s slow pace.

A spending plan originally due to Congress in late August is now expected only in December, according to two Capitol Hill sources. With Trump pushing for an aggressive timeline, routine defence contracting delays have taken on heightened significance, raising fears that several key Golden Dome contracts may not be issued by the Pentagon’s internal December 31 deadline — a development that could escalate costs, industry executives warned.

Despite the concerns, a White House spokesperson defended the project, calling it “a visionary system led by a visionary President”. A Pentagon spokesperson said the department was tightly guarding progress to prevent adversaries from exploiting sensitive breakthroughs.

Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve Feinberg and programme manager General Michael Guetlein declined to comment.

Architecture, staffing delays stall progress

Guetlein met a mid-November deadline to present an implementation plan, which is now under review. However, sources say the broader Golden Dome architecture is still in flux. Without a finalised architecture or approved spending plan, the project cannot transition from planning to contract awards.

The Golden Dome office is also struggling with staffing gaps, still short of its target of 30 personnel. The programme recently lost a key technical director from the US Space Command, though a replacement has been identified.

Guetlein has managed to bring in contractors, set up internal systems and pull missile-defense experts from facilities such as Redstone Arsenal in Alabama. Yet experts warn that continued uncertainty at senior levels could obstruct progress. “As long as there is indecision about every little thing at higher levels, none of this is ever going to get started,” said Tom Karako of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Contractors concerned over high development costs

Beyond bureaucratic hurdles, defence companies are wary of the high upfront development costs for the Space-Based Interceptors — satellites equipped with missiles designed to intercept threats during various stages of flight.

Documents seen by Reuters show that contractors must shoulder the bulk of the research and development costs, an unusual requirement for projects of this scale. One industry executive said they may decline to compete due to uncertainty over whether a future administration will continue the programme.

Companies could ultimately win production contracts worth USD 1.8 to 3.4 billion annually. However, industry insiders estimate that developing and testing an interceptor could cost anywhere between USD 200 million and USD 2 billion.

Major defence firms—including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, RTX and Boeing—are expected to bid once contract doors open.

Some progress on early-warning systems

Despite broader hurdles, the Pentagon is making headway in consolidating early-warning systems used by various intelligence agencies to detect ballistic, hypersonic and cruise missile threats, according to officials and industry sources. These systems will feed critical intelligence into Golden Dome, boosting interception capabilities.

For now, however, the multi-billion-dollar missile defence initiative remains gridlocked, with timelines slipping and uncertainty mounting over its future path.