AURORA, Colo. –
As global missile threats continue to evolve, U.S. Space Force and U.S. Air Force leaders took the stage at the 2025 Air and Space Forces Association Warfare Symposium March 5, for a panel discussion on missile defense highlighting recent conflicts, advancements in technology, and the challenges ahead.
The discussion, moderated by the 11th Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Air Force (ret) Gen. John Hyten, featuring U.S. Space Force Lt. Gen. Doug Schiess, commander, Space Forces-Space and U.S. Space Command’s Combined Joint Forces Space Component commander; U.S. Space Force Lt. Gen. David N. Miller Jr., commander, Space Operations Command and U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Heath Collins, director, Missile Defense Agency, focused on lessons learned from recent missile attacks and the strategic path forward.
A Rapidly Changing Threat Landscape
Hyten opened the discussion by emphasizing the increasing missile threats from adversaries like Iran, North Korea, China, and Russia. “In the last few years, we've had a strategic proposition launched by the United States congress that said some very interesting things about missile defense,” he noted. “It emphasized the main leading missile defense is against Iran and North Korea, but it also said we need to build missile defenses to take away the threat that China and Russia can bring to bear against us.”
Schiess provided a firsthand account of how the Space Force responded to recent missile attacks, particularly in April and October of last year when Iran launched missiles and drones into Isreal, while also emphasizing the lessons learned from those attacks.
“What we saw in April was just an incredible volume of hundreds of missiles, not to mention one-way UAV attacks against Israel and into other parts of the Middle East," Schiess said. " Our system did as well as it could—it provided the missile warning needed to our joint members or allies. But it wasn't good enough. There was latency in it. We knew we needed help.”
Schiess highlighted how leveraging the expertise of Guardians from SpOC and Space Systems Command to help refine missile defense tactics ultimately prepared them for the October attacks. “We turned to our Guardians to develop better tactics, techniques, and procedures he said. “So, when the October attack happened, we were much faster. We were able to work through some latency issues…We were much better”
Miller echoed Schiess's sentiments, crediting an integrated unit structure with enhancing operational effectiveness. "We validated the need for an integrated combat team—Space Operations, ISR, and Guardians—working together to track not just missiles but also counter-space threats," Miller explained.
He stressed the importance of flexibility and rapid advancements in missile defense. "The demand that the Joint Force has on the Space Force is not just track and missile warning. The demand signal is actually missile warning tracking and target.” The ability to integrate advancements within months—not years—is key in adapting to these threats, Miller said.
Acquisition and Technological Challenges
Collins outlined the Missile Defense Agency’s role in ensuring missile defense systems keep pace with evolving threats. "The scale of missile attacks we saw last year was beyond what these systems were initially designed for," Collins said. “And what we found pretty quickly was our processes to get updates to the team were way too slow. And so, in a crisis, we had Sailors getting shot at. We were able to cut that down into less than a week from beginning to end, getting software out to the field.”
He also pointed to lessons learned from Israel’s defense against missile barrages. "Our decades-long partnership with Israel has been invaluable,” he stressed. “It took years of training. We have a test bed called the Israeli test bed, where we had brought in U.S. and Israeli’s together to plan and execute the fight that was actually critical in the heated, very complex environment that they were seeing. We really had to train for that large volume.”
However, Collins warned that sustaining a high volume of missile defense responses presents logistical and financial challenges. "Magazine depth is going to be crucial in the future. It’s a problem –it’s a cost problem; it’s a skill problem – and it’s something we’re really going to have to get after.”
Adapting for Future Conflicts
The panelists agreed that the Indo-Pacific region poses a different set of challenges compared to the Middle East. "The last engagement was a single-day event, but that’s not how it’s going to be in the Indo-Pacific fight," Schiess pointed out. "We’re working on training our crews for sustained combat operations."
Miller reinforced this by highlighting the need for a joint and coalition approach. "This isn’t just a Space Force problem; we must leverage Army and Navy capabilities as well," he said. "Working with allies is crucial—especially as we integrate new technologies."
The Path Forward: Executive Order on Missile Defense
The panel also discussed President Trump’s recent Executive Order mandating an accelerated deployment of the next-generation missile defense system, dubbed the “Golden Dome.” The order requires a strategic plan by the end of March protect the U.S. against ballistic, hypersonic, and advanced cruise missile threats.
"This is a massive undertaking," Hyten stated. "We're being asked to build a comprehensive defense against some of the most advanced missile threats in the world—on an accelerated timeline."
Miller acknowledged the challenge but expressed confidence in the Space Force’s role. "We’re not starting from scratch. The advancements we’ve made in space-based sensor layers, ground-based radars, and automated tracking will be critical to meeting this mandate."
The discussion underscored the complexity of modern missile defense and the need for continued innovation, speed, and integration. "Missile defense works—but it has to evolve constantly," Collins concluded. "The lessons we’ve learned will shape how we defend our nation and our allies in the future."
Schiess agreed.
“We can't wait another 30-some years to get out there, because the threat is changing each and every day, and more threats are coming,” Schiess said. “We have to think about all the threats, including the threats to our assets. We have to think fast, go big so that the warfighters can have what they need.”
As threats continue to grow, the U.S. Space Force remains focused on ensuring that missile defense systems are prepared for the challenges ahead—whether in the Middle East, the Indo-Pacific, or beyond.
Schiess summed up the importance of this mission by stating, “Guardians are going to get up every day, along with their joint teammates, and do the mission so that the rest of the world says ‘today is not the day to attack the United States.’”