Episode 7 Summary – CFD Podcast: Golden Dome and the Future of Defense

In this episode, Tabetha Baume Chandler explores the Golden Dome National Ballistic and Cruise Missile Defense System, one of the most ambitious defense initiatives announced this year. More than an incremental upgrade, the Golden Dome envisions a space-based, layered defense system designed to counter growing missile threats from China, Russia, and North Korea.

She outlines the massive opportunities this program presents for cleared professionals across aerospace, satellite operations, missile defense, advanced computing, and AI. From major defense primes to innovative startups, the Golden Dome could reshape the defense contracting landscape for decades.

Tabetha also addresses the challenges: immense technical complexity, cost, political sustainability, and the destabilizing effect such systems can have on global security dynamics. Yet she emphasizes that even if the Golden Dome evolves or faces setbacks, the investment in space-based technologies will drive innovation and create lasting career opportunities across the defense sector.

This episode highlights a generational opportunity for cleared professionals to contribute to cutting-edge technologies that will define national security in the coming decades.