Hegseth Hails First Test of America’s ‘Golden Dome’ Missile Defense Shield

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks alongside Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), and Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) in the Oval Office at the White House on May 20, 2025. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The Pentagon has carried out the first milestone test of the Golden Dome for America missile defense program, with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announcing on June 23 that an autonomous targeting system and directed-energy technology successfully intercepted a series of simulated incoming threats.

Declaring the test a “full mission success,” Hegseth said in a statement on social media that the system detected, tracked, targeted, and destroyed multiple drone and cruise missile threats, marking a watershed moment for President Donald Trump’s signature homeland missile defense shield.