As Israel confronts unprecedented attacks from Iran and its allies, one lesson is clear: missile defense works.
For decades, Israel invested in a layered air and missile defense architecture to intercept everything from short-range rockets to ballistic missiles. While no system is perfect, Israel’s ability to protect population centers, critical infrastructure and military installations prevented catastrophic losses.
President Donald Trump should view Israel’s experience not as an ally’s success story, but as a blueprint for strengthening America’s homeland defense and accelerating the development of the Golden Dome missile defenses.
The United States played a key role helping Israel develop its missile defense capabilities. Through decades of cooperation between the U.S. Missile Defense Agency and Israel defense institutions, American taxpayers and defense experts helped fund, test and refine systems now proving their value.
Now we must bring those lessons home.
America’s generosity – over $6 billion dollars to Israel for Iron Dome batteries, interceptors, co-production costs and general maintenance — and its deployment of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptors to Israel, helped ensure the successful performance we are witnessing.
A U.S.-Israel joint venture currently manufactures and assembles interceptors in the U.S. and Israel but, with an eye to supply chain security Washington should require all manufacturing and assembly of Iron Dome systems is done in the U.S.
Rather than reinventing the wheel, the Trump administration should deepen cooperation with Israel’s defense industry to integrate proven U.S.-Israeli technologies with America’s unmatched industrial capacity, engineering expertise and military infrastructure. Such cooperation would accelerate deployment timelines, reduce development costs and strengthen America’s ability to defend itself against emerging threats from China, Russia and North Korea.
The reality is simple: America’s homeland is becoming increasingly vulnerable to missile attacks, drone swarms, hypersonic weapons and long-range precision strike weapons. While the United States maintains the most powerful military in the world, most of our military is for projecting power abroad not defending the homeland.
That must change.
Ensuring economic resilience
Israel’s experience demonstrates missile defense is about more than military capability. It is about economic resilience and national confidence. During the Iran war, Israel’s missile defense system was more than 90 percent effective at stopping missiles from killing its citizens and destroying its infrastructure.
When citizens know they are protected, businesses continue operating, markets remain stable and daily life continues. A successful attack against major American cities, ports, energy infrastructure, data centers or transportation hubs could have devastating economic and psychological consequences far beyond the immediate loss of life and property damage.
Defense of the homeland is not simply a military objective; it is an economic imperative.
By leveraging proven Israeli technologies and combat experience, President Trump can build the world’s most advanced missile defense network. Such a system would combine American sensors, radar networks, satellites, command-and-control systems and industrial production with Israeli expertise in missile interception and layered defense.
A push for domestic production
The logic goes even further, because significant components of the Israeli systems are already made in the United States, which makes full technology transfer, co-production and domestic manufacturing even more viable.
Interceptors, launch systems, sensors and supporting components should be produced in the United States by American workers. Defense companies across the country could participate in the effort, creating tens of thousands of high-skilled manufacturing, engineering and technology jobs while strengthening America’s industrial base.
After America’s unselfish and unprecedented support to Israel in the defense against Iranian attacks, Trump should press for nothing less than 100% production and further development in the U.S.
This approach would deliver benefits far beyond national security. It would stimulate investment, expand domestic production capacity and support the reindustrialization goals that have become a hallmark of President Trump’s economic agenda. Every new manufacturing facility, supply-chain partnership and research initiative would contribute to economic growth while enhancing national security.
Much as President Ronald Reagan transformed strategic defense thinking during the Cold War, President Trump can establish a modern missile shield to protect future generations of Americans. By embracing the lessons from Israel’s defense against Iran and integrating them into the Golden Dome, he can dramatically shorten development timelines and reduce costs while delivering tangible results during his presidency.
The Golden Dome should not be viewed as a future aspiration. It should become a national priority and a lasting symbol of American strength, innovation and security.
