Combatant command leaders say they’re working closely with Golden Dome director

Top officials from U.S. Northern Command, U.S. Space Command and U.S. Strategic Command said Tuesday they are working to ensure their commands are aligned with program manager Gen. Michael Guetlein’s plans for the Golden Dome missile defense system.

Speaking at the Air & Space Forces Association’s annual Warfare Symposium, Gen. Stephen Whiting, who leads SPACECOM, said “we have sent liaison officers to sit in the Pentagon with [Guetlein’s] team for months at a time to really make sure where we’re as tightly connected as we can be.”

“We want to make sure that those capabilities, as they come online, can nest right into our overall command-and-control system,” Whiting said. “All of that is going to have to work incredibly tightly together.”

Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of NORTHCOM and North American Aerospace Defense Command, during the same panel referenced an early meeting with Guetlein and Whiting about the initiative. “The three of us left the room, without any exaggeration, 100% aligned on what we thought Golden Dome for America should look like — the timeline, what should be emphasized first [and] what would be a follow-on capability,” he said.

“We’ll have demonstrable capability much faster than a lot of people think,” Guillot added. “When Golden Dome first was discussed, I think some thought it would be a 2040, Buck Rogers type of capability, and it’s not. It’s much closer. A lot of the capabilities are there.”

Lt. Gen. Michael Lutton, deputy commander of STRATCOM, noted the three combatant commands are part of an executive council that works with Guetlein.

“Those capabilities that I would say are unique to our combatant command … we bring those to the table and integrate with him,” Lutton said.

President Donald Trump has said Golden Dome will be operational before his term ends.