Who is General Michael Guetlein? Head of Trump’s Golden Dome project

President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that General Michael Guetlein will oversee the United States’ Golden Dome missile defense system.

Why It Matters

In the first days of his second term, Trump signed an executive order directing the U.S. to create its own version of Israel’s Iron Dome, which intercepts incoming short-range rockets and shells as part of a broader air defense strategy.

What To Know

Guetlein’s appointment will bolster what top government officials believe to be a more comprehensive native defense system should the U.S. require it in the future.

Who is Michael Guetlein?

Prior to his new appointment, Guetlein served as vice chief of space operations for the U.S. Space Force, where he assisted in organizing, training and equipping space forces domestically and overseas. His duties included integrating space policy and guidance and coordinating space-related activities for the Space Force and the U.S. Air Force.

The Space Force organizes, trains, equips and maintains mission-ready space forces that provide missile warning, space domain awareness, positioning, navigation and timing, communications and space electronic warfare for North American Aerospace Defense Command, U.S. Strategic Command, U.S. Space Command and other combatant commands.

He was commissioned in 1991 through the ROTC program at Oklahoma State University. In addition to the Space Force, his experience spans air and space capabilities and systems across multiple sectors and agencies.

He was deputy director of the National Reconnaissance Office and commander of the Air and Space Force Element, program executive at the Missile Defense Agency, commander of the Rapid Reaction Squadron, assistant to the assistant secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, and a Secretary of Defense corporate fellow.

What is the Golden Dome missile defense for America?

Trump reportedly wanted a domestic rendition of Israel’s Iron Dome after seeing its capabilities in thwarting Iranian missile attacks in 2024, according to ABC News. His intent to build “the greatest dome of them all” became popular enough within the Republican Party to warrant its own section in last year’s election platform.

“The threat of attack by ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles, and other advanced aerial attacks, remains the most catastrophic threat facing the United States,” Trump wrote in the January 27 executive order.

He pledged that the U.S. will deploy and maintain a “next-generation missile defense shield,” adding that various missile attacks “remain the most catastrophic threat facing the United States,” according to the order.

The exact details of what the Golden Dome will look like are incomplete. However, last week, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) released an unclassified assessment titled “Golden Dome for America: Current and Future Missile Threats to the U.S. Homeland” to show how the U.S. would defend against hypothetical attacks.

The DIA graphic states that “missile threats to the U.S. homeland will expand in scale and sophistication in the coming decade.”

It visually shows different trajectories from sites worldwide involving different kinds of air attacks, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons, land attack cruise missiles, and Fractional Orbital Bombardment Systems.

“In the coming decade, missile threats to the U.S. Homeland from more advanced conventional- and nuclear-capable delivery systems will expand in scale and sophistication,” the DIA said in a May 14 statement.

While some have critiqued the plan due to size and scope and unbalanced comparison between the U.S. and Israel, it’s anticipated that the Golden Dome will provide a more potent defense against adversaries like Russia, China, Iran and North Korea.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told Bloomberg that U.S. defense officials had “gathered the brightest minds and best technical talent to review a full range of options that considers current US missile defense technology and cutting edge innovation to rapidly develop and field a dependable umbrella of protection for our homeland.”

Various department heads, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, “have engaged with the President to present options, and look forward to announcing the path forward in the coming days,” Parnell added.

What Happens Next

While the parameters of the Golden Dome are still being configured, the Congressional Budget Office earlier this month estimated a development cost between $161 billion and $542 billion over a 20-year period. Those are lower estimates than previously thought due to what the CBO described as a decline in the cost of launch services available.