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Pentagon Seeks $452M for Directed-Energy Weapons for Golden Dome Despite History of Program Cancellations
Undersecretary Emil Michael told lawmakers the science of laser weapons is largely complete and the focus has shifted to engineering challenges. The Pentagon plans a directed energy demonstration in summer 2028.
Jun 2, 7:46 PM·2m read1 source
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The Pentagon’s fiscal year 2027 budget request includes $452 million for the development, integration, and assessment of directed energy weapons in support of the Golden Dome for America missile shield, more than triple the $142 million enacted under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law in July 2025.
” He said the department is now focused on engineering challenges that would allow prototypes to become mass-producible systems. “We now have a suite of directed energy products that go from low-end to high-end, and now we have to scale production of those,” Michael said.
” “A lot of the money allocated to Golden Dome is going to go to the fundamental engineering of these systems so that we can make them cheaper, smaller and more proliferated,” Michael said. ” A directed energy demonstration is expected to occur during the summer of 2028 as part of a series of planned Golden Dome-related events.
“There’s never been more effort in the department on this particular capability,” Michael said.
U.S. S. 93 million over the next five years on a containerized 150-300 kW Joint Laser Weapon System as part of the Golden Dome architecture.
Past programs have struggled to move beyond testing. The Army’s 50 kW Stryker-mounted Directed Energy Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense was determined not mature enough to become a program of record after operational testing in the Middle East in 2024. Retired Army Lt.
Gen. ” The Army abandoned its 300 kW Indirect Fire Protection Capability-High Energy Laser project after reducing it to a single testbed. The Navy’s 60 kW High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical Dazzler and Surveillance system began testing at full power and successfully engaged drone targets aboard the USS Preble, but the system has effectively disappeared from the Navy’s fiscal year 2027 budget request outside sustainment dollars.
