The sky’s the limit is a tired phrase, but one that comes to mind with the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) selecting more than 1,000 defense firms to compete for Golden Dome work with a ceiling – if you can even call it that – approaching $151 billion.
If you are one of these 1,000 firms selected to compete for Golden Dome work under the IDIQ Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD), it isn’t a golden ticket. Yet. Because moving roughly 45% of the applying firms forward is as much about affording full flexibility in the future when it comes to awarding funding as it is about believing these are the exact 1,000 firms best positioned to support Golden Dome.
American Enterprise Institute defense budget expert Todd Harrison went so far to say the following in comments to GovExec: “If I was one of the companies that got an award, I wouldn’t be too excited. But if I was one of the ones that didn’t get an award, I would be pretty upset. It’s like logging into Ticketmaster to buy some concert tickets and not even getting into the waiting room.”
Harrison’s point, in a way, is to say that these 1,000 firms have their work cut out for them to elevate their brand above the noise and stand out. And while work will continue through 2035, the SHIELD effort will be motivated to move at “commercial speed.” President Trump has stated publicly he wants the system ready by the end of his term. And no, I don’t mean 2032.
But even if you were not one of the firms selected by MDA, there are of course still opportunities to win Golden Dome work – through Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs). According to Space Force Gen. Michael A. Guetlein, 18 OTAs have been awarded for space-based interceptors alone, and there will be more.
GOLDEN DOME PR — TECH CATEGORIES
Golden Dome encompasses myriad product and technology categories, including:
- Sensing & tracking layer (Space-based tracking satellites, Ground-based and sea-based radars, Multi-INT cueing concepts.
- Battle management, command & control (C2) (Integrated fire control / battle management software, Data fusion, Interoperability layers that connect legacy and new systems.
- AI/automation for fire control, tracking, and accelerated test cadence
- Interceptors & effectors (Space-based interceptors / kill vehicles, Ground-based interceptors, Common launch / missile battery concepts, Potential non-kinetic/directed energy).
- Space systems “plumbing”: spacecraft, launch, ground segment
- Communications, networks, and timing
- Cybersecurity, zero trust, and mission resilience
Modeling, simulation, digital engineering, and test infrastructure - Production scaling, industrial base, and supply chain
- Operations, sustainment, and program support “at scale”
GOLDEN DOME CONTRACT PURSUIT PR STRATEGIES
Strategic Defense Tech PR will be critical for traditional and non-traditional government contractors that will need to establish a steady drumbeat of messages that align with Golden Dome priorities. It won’t be enough to show and tell what your widget does; you can, for example, leverage earned media channels to communicate your “widgets” role in the Golden Dome kill chain from detect → track → decide → engage → assess.
Golden Dome decision makers face a difficult challenge when it comes to evaluating standalone technologies and their ability to seamlessly integrate. The last thing anyone wants is to end up with 1,000 technologies that don’t place nicely in the sandbox, because lack of integration will undermine other key MDA priority areas – speed, testability, demonstration.
Beyond – or I should say above – the PR strategies and tactics listed below is the need to listen. Don’t just talk about your capabilities for Golden Dome. Listen to public comments made by Gen. Guetlein and other Golden Dome decision makers through speaking engagements, press releases, quotes in news articles and other channels to stay aligned with priorities, needs, and pain points. Leverage Gen AI to analyze comments for rapid message pivoting. Then, build an agile PR strategy around
SPEED TO FIELD
- Thought leadership articles focused on product, technology, culture and process requirements to accelerate speed to field (softly aligned with your capabilities.
- Milestone announcements (press releases, blog posts, etc.) highlighting any breakthroughs in this area.
- Compelling video and breakdowns of proven speed to field.
PROOF VIA PROTOTYPES/TESTS
- Data-driven content amd milestone storytelling around test and prototype results (i.e. – reduced time-to-detect / time-to-engage by X%).
- “Show, don’t tell” videos highlighting prototypes and tests.
- Social media amplification.
LAYERED KILL CHAIN INTEGRATION
- Dual-use announcements showing key partnerships and integration use cases.
- Case studies of active, integrated deployments outside of Golden Dome to show you’ve done it before.
- Thought leadership articulating the critical importance of kill chain integration without breaking the chain.
MODERN DIGITAL/OPEN ENGINEERING PRACTICES
- Newsjacking to developments with relevant DoD standards (SOSA, CMOSS, etc.).
- Thought leadership education on how open architectures related to your specific capability area can reduce kill-chain.
- Press releases on technology developments and partnerships underscoring commitment to open standards.
ABILITY TO SCALE
- Dual use examples from previous or active commercial or government deployments.
- Earned and owned content focused on scalability assets (supply chain, partners, team).
- Press releases on key hires from industry and government highlighting a team that knows how to scale and deliver.
If you are a traditional or non-traditional government contractor or defense tech startup / space tech startup and want to build PR into your Golden Dome contract pursuit strategy, reach out at contact@lustigstrategies.com to set up an intro call.
