JUST IN: Trump’s Iron Dome Order Sends Important Signal to Allies, Experts Say
2/11/2025
By Laura Heckmann
The Patriot missile defense system
An executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Jan. 27 to implement a next-generation missile defense shield for the United States emphasized protecting the homeland, but also drew a surprising spotlight on allies and partners, experts said.
During Trump’s announcement of the executive order, he called for the immediate construction of a “state-of-the-art Iron Dome missile defense shield, which will be able to protect Americans. You know, we protect other countries, but we don't protect ourselves.”
Despite Trump’s past criticism of foreign partnerships, the executive order’s recognition of the role they will play was a “pleasant surprise,” said Heather Williams, director of the Project on Nuclear Issues and senior fellow in the defense and security department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, during a CSIS discussion Feb. 11.
Williams noted that the executive order “calls for increased cooperation with allies and partners on missile defense” at a time when “a lot of America's allies are a bit nervous about the incoming administration. Will the U.S. live up to its strategic commitments of … extended nuclear deterrence with them?”
https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2025/2/11/trumps-iron-dome-order-sends-important-signal-to-allies
