Why it Matters
The House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces convenes Thursday, May 28 to examine fiscal year 2027 missile defense and missile defeat programs at a moment when Iran's expanding ballistic missile reach, China's hypersonic arsenal, and an administration-backed "Golden Dome" concept are converging to force a fundamental reckoning over how the U.S. defends its homeland and allies.
The Threat
Rep. Mike Turner, in a tweet posted one day before the hearing, stated: "The Iranians now have missile technology that can reach Europe. This is a terrorist regime that we cannot allow to have a nuclear weapon." Rep. Don Bacon, in an April 8 post, pointed to recent operations: "We've had significant victories—destroying Iran's air force, navy, & missile production, setting them back years... We must negotiate from strength & not give up leverage too soon."
The subcommittee's chair, Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN), noted in March that the panel had already held a posture hearing covering national security space, nuclear forces, missile defense, and conventional prompt strike priorities for fiscal year 2027. Thursday's hearing drills deeper into the missile defense budget and defeat strategy.
Golden Dome Backdrop
Hovering over the defense committee hearing is the GOLDEN DOME Act of 2025, a sweeping missile defense proposal introduced by subcommittee member Rep. Mark Messmer (R-IN) that would authorize more than $23 billion in fiscal year 2026 alone to build a multi-layered, multi-domain missile shield against threats from China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran.
The bill envisions space-based interceptors, hypersonic tracking satellites, directed energy weapons, and AI-driven battle management systems. It would create a new Senate-confirmed Golden Dome Program Manager with acquisition authority that bypasses standard Pentagon procurement processes. Among its specific mandates is fielding at least 80 Next Generation Interceptors at Fort Greely, Alaska, by January 2028, and procuring at least 40 Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor vehicles.
Reps. Joe Wilson, Derrick Van Orden, and Abe Hamadeh are listed as cosponsors on the legislation, giving the proposal momentum within the same panel that is scrutinizing this missile defense budget request.
Ranking Member Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), in his opening statement at a March strategic posture hearing, addressed the Golden Dome concept directly, framing "space, missile defenses, and nuclear forces" as foundational to American security, while also signaling that Democratic interest in ensuring the concept is grounded in operational reality rather than political ambition.
Who Is Testifying
Five senior defense officials are scheduled to appear before the panel:
- Gregory Guillot, Commander of U.S. Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command
- Michael Guetlein, Office of the Secretary of Defense
- Marc J. Berkowitz, Office of the Secretary of Defense
- Heath Collins, Director of the Missile Defense Agency
- Sean Gainey, Commander of U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command
The witness lineup spans the institutional breadth of U.S. missile defense, from the combatant commander responsible for homeland defense to the agency that develops and fields the actual interceptor systems. NORTHCOM and NORAD are the operational commands that would execute any missile defeat mission in defense of the continental United States.
Industry Paying Close Attention
The Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance filed four consecutive quarterly lobbying reports through 2025. A cluster of defense contractors, including i3 Corp., IERUS Technologies, Trideum Corp., Hill Technical Solutions, Monte Sano Research, and Arcfield, each reported $22,500 in lobbying expenditures focused specifically on missile defense and Army defense programs.
IAI North America, the U.S. arm of Israel's state-owned defense contractor, lobbied on Arrow missile defense in the third quarter of 2025. Ursa Major Technologies, a rocket propulsion company, reported $30,000 in quarterly lobbying on missile technology, and its PAC contributed $1,000 to subcommittee member Rep. Mark Messmer four days before the hearing.
The Fiscal Year 2027 Fight
Thursday's missile defense hearing is one piece of a larger congressional effort to shape the fiscal year 2027 defense budget before the National Defense Authorization Act process accelerates. The subcommittee has already examined national security space and nuclear forces this cycle. Missile defense and defeat programs round out the strategic forces portfolio.
Policy questions include how much of the Golden Dome concept can be operationalized within realistic budget constraints; what is the current readiness posture of existing interceptor systems; and how does the Missile Defense Agency prioritize among competing threats such as hypersonic glide vehicles, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles when resources are finite.
The hearing convenes Thursday May 28 at 7:00 p.m. in 2118 Rayburn House Office Building, chaired by Rep. DesJarlais with Rep. Moulton serving as ranking member.
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