Huntsville’s member of Congress is hailing the confirmation of a Space Force general with Redstone Arsenal experience to oversee President Donald Trump’s signature missile defense effort.

The Senate confirmed Gen. Michael A. Guetlein last week as program manager for the Golden Dome missile shield, a multibillion-dollar push to bolster homeland defenses against threats from both global superpowers and rogue nations.

“President Trump’s decision to have General Guetlein serve as the Golden Dome Czar is a strategic move to strengthen our national defense at a critical time,” said Republican Rep. Dale Strong of Alabama’s 5th Congressional District

Guetlein has served as vice chief of space operations for U.S. Space Force, tasked with helping organize, train and equip space forces, integrating space policy and guidance, and coordinating space-related activities for Space Force and the Air Force.

He served as the program executive for programs and integration within the Missile Defense Agency at Redstone Arsenal from April 2017 to June 2019.

Space Force Lt. Gen. Shawn N. Bratton has been nominated to succeed Guetlein as vice chief but is awaiting Senate confirmation.

“I am confident that under [Guetlein’s] leadership, President Trump’s vision to innovate our homeland missile defense through Golden Dome will soon become a reality – creating a strong deterrence against our adversaries,” said Republican Rep. Jeff Crank of Colorado Springs, Colo., Strong’s co-chairman of the House Golden Dome Caucus.

Strong and Crank have said the caucus would be a platform for members of Congress to advocate for policies, funding and capabilities around Golden Dome.

In an executive order issued in late January, President Donald Trump outlined a vision of an “Iron Dome for America” – a national missile defense program with a special emphasis on space-based capabilities.

Trump’s order borrowed its name from Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense program, a joint U.S.-Israeli venture designed to defend that nation against missile threats launched from relatively short distances. The name of Trump’s program was changed to “Golden Dome” shortly after his announcement.

Details remain scant, though north Alabama’s sector strengths in space and missile defense imply the Huntsville area could have a large role to play in Golden Dome research and development.

Lawmakers approved nearly $25 billion in funding for Golden Dome in Trump’s so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” taxing and spending package, though the legislation did not specify how much of that would go toward existing Defense activities or to new lines of effort.

Trump has said the effort would cost $175 billion and would be in place by the end of his term. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated Golden Dome could carry a price tag of up to $831 billion over 20 years.

Upon his nomination in March, Guetlein described Golden Dome as an effort, “on the magnitude of the Manhattan Project.”