Golden Dome, Space Security, and Strategic Stability: An Update

This presentation, “Golden Dome, Space Security, and Strategic Stability: An Update” by Victoria Samson of the Secure World Foundation, was delivered to the IAF Space Security Committee during the IAC 2025 conference in Sydney on September 30, 2025. It provides an updated analysis of the U.S. “Golden Dome” missile defense initiative, a proposed multilayered system that includes space-based interceptors (SBIs) and a proliferated sensor network designed to counter ballistic, cruise, hypersonic, and drone threats. The presentation details the program’s objectives, projected costs, and development timeline, while critically assessing its technical feasibility, potential for weaponizing space, and implications for global strategic stability. Drawing parallels to Cold War missile defense debates and the 1972 ABM Treaty, Samson highlights the risk of renewed arms race dynamics and the erosion of existing space and arms control norms.