A sprawling missile defense conference kicks off Tuesday in Alabama, but no one on stage can mention the Pentagon’s most ambitious missile defense project.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office, according to the event’s organizers, has banned officials at the event from talking about President Donald Trump’s favorite weapon system: the nascent multibillion-dollar Golden Dome missile shield.
The clampdown follows new Pentagon rules that ban personnel from participating in think tank and research organization events — a major channel for communicating policy and gathering outside input. And it occurs alongside a broader tightening of the department’s public engagement, including reducing press conferences and limiting media access in the building to prevent a stream of embarrassing leaks.
The Space and Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville this week typically showcases the Pentagon’s missile defense priorities. Organizers expect it will draw 7,300 attendees and 300 exhibitors this year, with Missile Defense Agency Director Lt. Gen. Heath Collins among the headliners.
But Hegseth’s public affairs office told organizers to keep Golden Dome off the agenda and muzzled government speakers — at least until a separate event on Thursday, according to event spokesperson Bob English.
“A lot of [attendees] are coming this year because of Golden Dome,” English said. ”Unfortunately, last week, [the Defense secretary's office] came out and said they don't want us talking about Golden Dome during the symposium.”
The Pentagon, when asked for comment, pointed to a July announcement about the creation of an office to oversee the missile shield's development. Officials provided no additional information.
Organizers described frantic days assessing the new rules' implications. “There was confusion for about 48 hours about exactly what the policy was or what they intended us to do or not to do,” English said.
Officials will still have some conversations about Golden Dome, but in a more structured setting. The Missile Defense Agency posted a notice this week that it will brief industry in an unclassified session Thursday, laying out what threats the shield is meant to stop, what mix of defenses it may use and how the Pentagon wants to buy and build it.
But experts contend the conversation belongs in public.
“When it comes to Golden Dome, start talking,” said Tom Karako, a missile defense expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “There are good answers to these questions because the threat is profound. But there needs to be a lot more communication and persuasion.”
The fledgling initiative, launched by Trump soon after he returned to office, received $25 billion in the recently signed GOP megabill. Proponents envision a $175 billion program.
The Senate confirmed Gen. Mike Guetlein in July to lead the new Golden Dome office, which aims to unveil the system’s architecture by mid-September and conduct the first integrated flight test in late 2028.
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