The Pentagon has selected over 1,000 firms, including BAE Systems, Booz Allen Hamilton, L3Harris, and General Atomics, to potentially work on its Golden Dome missile defense shield program as well as other projects.
On Tuesday, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) announced the first phase of staggered awards under its Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) contract, which includes 1,014 qualifying offerors. The indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract could be valued at up to $151 billion over the next decade, according to MDA’s contract announcement.
MDA spokesman Mark Wright stated in an email to Defense News that the initial SHIELD awards aim to create a portfolio of firms qualified to work on programs like Golden Dome. Companies listed under the SHIELD contract will be eligible to compete for future requirements via task or delivery orders.
Wright emphasized that these initial awards do not pertain to firm requirements, such as those for Golden Dome, but rather to establishing the portfolio of qualified SHIELD IDIQ holders. He further noted that MDA intends to complete source selection activities for SHIELD, including discussions with offerors and potentially making additional awards, before soliciting firm requirements under task or delivery orders. It’s important to mention that while Golden Dome requirements may be executed under SHIELD, this is not an exclusive arrangement.
Elbit America, the U.S. branch of Israeli firm Elbit Systems, is also among the potential contractors. Elbit Systems is a primary contractor for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, which motivated President Donald Trump to order the creation of the Pentagon’s Golden Dome system.
In its Tuesday contract announcement, the Pentagon indicated that SHIELD will facilitate MDA and other Defense Department organizations in rapidly competing orders within a flexible enterprise framework. MDA received 2,463 offers competing for the SHIELD contract.
Stephen Losey, the air warfare reporter for Defense News, has a background in covering leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, as well as reporting on the Pentagon and special operations at Military.com. He has experience covering U.S. Air Force operations in the Middle East.
