On Monday, President Trump signed an executive order to begin the construction of the Iron Dome system in the United States.
Designed by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems with U.S. financial backing, the system played a pivotal role in thwarting Iran’s October 1, 2024, attack involving between 180 and 200 missiles.
Trump disclosed that he had signed the executive order after landing at Joint Base Andrews, where he praised Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the remarkable role he would play in the construction of the Iron Dome missile system.
“Pete Hegseth, who’s going to be great, by the way… I think he’s going to be fantastic,” Trump said. “I know him very well. I think he’s going to be fantastic.”
“He’s what we need, to immediately begin the construction of a state-of-the-art Iron Dome missile defense shield, which will be able to protect Americans.”
The executive order “The Iron Dome for America” requires the defense secretary to “reference architecture, capabilities-based requirements, and an implementation plan for the next-generation missile defense shield” within 60 days.
However, the radical Left that allowed the military to degrade over time has criticized Trump’s focus on the Iron Dome, saying it would not protect the country from long-range missiles from traditional adversaries such as Russia and China.
While the Israel version targets short-range rockets, small drones, and artillery shells, the U.S. system will counter “ballistic, hypersonic, advanced cruise missiles, and other next-generation aerial attacks from peer, near-peer, and rogue adversaries.”
Additionally, it will be part of the multi-layered defense system that works in collaboration with other land-based and airborne assets, thus making its role critical in the overall defense strategy.
In the executive order, Trump warned that the United States’ defense strategy has remained “only to stay ahead of rogue-nation threats and accidental or unauthorized missile launches.”
Meanwhile, Hegseth had hinted at the coming executive orders, which also included removing DEI from the military and prioritizing operational readiness over social identity.
“Today, there are more executive orders coming that we fully support. On removing DEI inside the Pentagon, reinstating troops who were pushed out because of COVID mandates. Iron Dome for America.”
Announcing the construction of the defense system, Trump reiterated Ronald Regan’s interest in a similar system when the United States “didn’t have the technology.” He also insisted that all system components “will be made right here in the USA 100%.”
Trump first expressed his interest in the Iron Dome missile defense system in June 2024 at a campaign rally in West Palm Beach.
“In my next term, we will build a great Iron Dome over our country, a dome-like has never seen before, a state-of-the-art missile defense shield that will be entirely built in America.”
“We’re going to build the greatest dome of them all,” he added.
He reiterated his plans during the Inaugural Ball in Washington, D.C., on January 20.
“We’re also doing the Iron Dome all made in America,” he noted. “We’re going to have a nice Iron Dome.”
Other priorities covered by Trump’s executive order included stamping out the transgender ideology from the military, stopping the indoctrination of service members via Critical Race Theory, and reinstating service members expelled due to COVID-19 mandates.
