Don’t Build Golden Dome on a Cracked Foundation
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 prioritize and invest in domestic defense systems that go beyond traditional missile interception.
As the U.S. defense industry rallies behind the Trump Administration’s ambitious Golden Dome program, intended to create a comprehensive air defense 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.
HPM systems, known for their ability to disable electronic components, represent the missing piece in America’s domestic defense strategy. For Golden Dome to function as a truly integrated shield, it must ensure the operational integrity of every layer and confront the full spectrum of aerial threats.
Missile-based defenses may be suitable in conflict zones, but they are costly, limited in scale, and pose unacceptable risks when used over urban populations. Non-kinetic, low-collateral technologies such as HPM are essential for a layered defense within the continental United States. Unlike interceptors, HPM neutralizes drones without explosive force, allowing them to fall intact. This minimizes collateral damage and enables forensic analysis and intelligence collection, benefits that traditional kinetic methods cannot offer.
Drone incursions are no longer theoretical. They are occurring with increasing frequency. The commander of U.S. Northern Command testified to Congress in March that over 1,000 drones are spotted monthly along the southern border. Langley Air Force Base, home to the Air Force’s F-22 Raptor, endured drone swarms for 17 consecutive days in December 2023. Following this, U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Paul Spedero Jr., a senior Joint Staff official, warned, “should our adversary choose to employ drones for surveillance or even attack, we would not be prepared to adequately defend our homeland.”
HPM has proven capable of disabling drones regardless of how they are controlled, whether wirelessly, autonomously, or even via fiber-optic cable, as seen in Ukraine. It is time for the United States to embrace this capability as a core part of its domestic shield.
Golden Dome is a critical investment in our future national security. The Trump Administration deserves credit for elevating this initiative. Now, we must ensure its architecture is complete. From early warning radars to drone-disabling microwaves, every layer matters. Neglecting any one of them leaves the nation vulnerable.
To truly protect the homeland, its infrastructure, and its people, we must commit to building a comprehensive, integrated defense system, one capable of withstanding everything our adversaries may send our way.
Lieutenant General Paul Ostrowski (U.S. Army, ret.) served as Principal Military Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Ostrowski now serves on the board of Epirus, a non-traditional defense technology company dedicated to overcoming the asymmetric challenges inherent to the future of national security.
