Two Republican senators, Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), introduced legislation this week aimed at establishing a more detailed framework for President Donald Trump’s proposed missile defense shield for the homeland. This bill, submitted on Wednesday, involves reviving several previously canceled or shelved plans and capabilities over the past decade.

The proposed legislation outlines a missile defense strategy for the continental U.S. that includes Aegis Ashore systems, currently operational only in Poland and Romania. Additionally, the plan incorporates the use of blimps for detecting complex threats, an expansion of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system (GMD) at Fort Greely, Alaska, and the introduction of a new interceptor site on the east coast. The estimated budget for this missile defense initiative in fiscal 2026 is around $19.5 billion, nearly double the Missile Defense Agency’s fiscal 2025 budget request of $10.4 billion.

If enacted, the bill would mandate the transfer of all operations and maintenance of missile defense systems to the military services, allowing the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) to concentrate solely on capability research and development. While this transfer has occurred for some systems, such as the Patriot Air and Missile Defense System, the MDA has historically opposed transferring other programs, like the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System.

Trump’s executive order for this missile defense initiative, dubbed “The Iron Dome for America,” signifies a shift in the approach towards national security threats, moving focus from rogue nations like North Korea and Iran to peer adversaries such as China and Russia. The directive addresses a wider range of advanced threats, including hypersonic weapons, cruise missiles, and drones.

In a statement following the introduction of the bill, Sullivan emphasized the urgency of establishing a robust homeland missile defense system to protect against the escalating threats posed by China and Russia. Named the “Iron Dome Act,” the legislation builds on Trump’s executive order and recommendations from the 2022 Missile Defense Review.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of a significant incident involving the Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System (JLENS), a tethered aerostat designed for missile defense. In 2016, the JLENS broke free from its mooring and caused power outages in Pennsylvania before it was deflated by law enforcement. The current bill seeks to authorize $100 million for the U.S. Army to deploy dirigibles, including airships and aerostats, in support of homeland missile defense.

Furthermore, the legislation includes provisions for establishing an east coast-based missile defense interceptor site at Fort Drum, New York, with an allocated budget of $25 million for planning and design. A prior attempt by the MDA to situate a site on the east coast concluded without a resolution after environmental studies were conducted.

The bill also advices the continuation of the quest for space-based interceptors by authorizing $60 million for space sensors and $900 million for space-based missile defense. Additional funding of $12 billion is earmarked to double the number of silos in the GMD system at Fort Greely to 80.

Furthermore, the bill mandates fielding at least 80 interceptors at Fort Greely by January 1, 2038. The Pentagon would also be required to investigate alternative interceptor options to counter hypersonic threats effectively. The proposed missile defense shield seeks the establishment of Aegis Ashore sites in Alaska, Hawaii, and on the east coast, with $1 billion allocated for site selection and construction execution plans.

Moreover, the bill aims to increase the numbers of THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) systems and interceptors, authorizing $1.4 billion for boosting production for homeland defense. It proposes an additional $1 billion for producing SM-3 Block IB and Block IIA missiles, with an allocation of $1.5 billion for the production of Patriot missiles and batteries.