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- The Pentagon requested $18 billion for Golden Dome in FY 2027
- A vast majority of the funding would come from possible reconciliation funding instead of the typical appropriations process
- Discover new Golden Dome business opportunities at Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Summer Series of DOW service-focused GovCon conferences. Sign up today!
The Department of War seeks $18 billion in FY 2027 for the Golden Dome homeland missile defense system, but a vast majority of the request, $17 billion, will come from possible reconciliation legislation from Congress as opposed to the base budget, according to Breaking Defense.
The request could raise total Golden Dome funding to $42 billion as Congress provided $24 billion in FY 2025 reconciliation funding as a down payment for the program. President Trump has an ambitious goal of having the system fully operational before the end of 2028.
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What Is Golden Dome?
Golden Dome is envisioned to be an integrated air and missile defense system that may incorporate some, or all, current U.S. missile defense systems, which include sensing, intercept and command and control capabilities. It may update these systems or augment them with new capabilities, or both.
Of its requested $18 billion for Golden Dome, the Pentagon plans for $14 billion of that to be spent on research, development, test and evaluation. This is part of a plan to balance investment next-generation technologies while strengthening existing foundational capabilities to improve near-term readiness and build for the future.
What Is the Total DOW Budget Request for FY 2027?
The White House seeks a massive $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget for FY 2027, including a $1.2 base budget, representing the first time the DOW base budget could exceed $1 trillion. While these are not final figures and are considered the opening phase of the federal appropriations process, they represent administration priorities for the upcoming fiscal year.
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The Golden Dome investment comes as the Pentagon plans for a big increase in its Space Force budget. The newest military service could get $71 billion in FY 2027, a $40 billion increase from FY 2026, Space News reported.
A majority of the Space Force’s requested increase is for missile defense satellite programs critical to Golden Dome development. Programs for deploying space-based sensors that can track moving targets would receive an extra $2 billion.
