Today, we’ll talk about the digital logistics for Golden Dome: the difficult task of gathering, analyzing and integrating massive quantities of data, as well as the role of automation and artificial intelligence.

Experts have repeatedly said Golden Dome will require a vast network of systems: one that must coordinate with elements in orbit as well as on land, at sea and in the air. Command centers, data centers, communications hubs, military personnel, technicians and perhaps even uncrewed, semi-autonomous interceptors will need to be able to communicate and coordinate defensive measures and counterstrikes at high speeds to protect the continental United States (and anywhere else the Pentagon decrees the Golden Dome ought to protect) from the next generation of hypersonic missiles, space-based weaponry and other attacks.

For Golden Dome’s architects and developers, that means solving the challenge of gathering, consolidating and actually using the incredible amount of data and information the system will need. As an example, one element may be to eventually rely on the hundreds of Joint All Domain Command and Control data transport satellites envisioned for the Space Development Agency’s transport layer. But regardless of the specifics, data management must be at the forefront of all Golden Dome plans.

The role of data has been an item of interest since the program’s announcement. During an industry summit earlier this month in Huntsville, Alabama, automation, AI-enabled decision tools and resilient comms were recurring themes in briefings from the Missile Defense Agency.

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