Current global instability, continued proliferation of medium- and long-range missiles, and increasingly sophisticated threats such as maneuvering reentry vehicles pose significant challenges for fielded ballistic missile defense systems (BMDSs). In response to progressively heightened real-time threats, Golden Dome’s three-year gauntlet has been laid down. Exponential technology evolution has created broad-spectrum, nonkinetic opportunities to qualitatively augment BMDS. A probabilistic “system of systems” (SoS) approach is described to harness kinetic, nonkinetic, and automated cross-domain access and transfer solutions for enabling secure C5ISR [command, control, computers, communications, cyber, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance] systems and artificial intelligence (AI) platform interoperability. The cross-domain solutions can then be expeditiously deployed from cloud service provider (CSP) data centers to the tactical edge. The SoS approach aids enhanced qualitative decision-making and effector competence to satisfy complex battle operations “left of launch.”

User activity monitoring (UAM) serves as a vital technology in mitigating the insider risk threat posed by employees at military agencies. By tracking and analyzing their digital footprint, organizations can identify, contextualize, and remediate suspicious behavior that may indicate data exfiltration or malicious intent. UAM enables real-time monitoring of user actions, including file access, email communication, and application usage, and offers an understanding of those actions’ emotional context. These steps enable security teams to promptly detect any unauthorized activities during an employee’s transition period.

In October 2023, the Biden administration issued an Executive Order focused on ensuring that artificial intelligence (AI) – which has captured headlines of late largely due to the rise of ChatGPT – is developed safely and securely. In a military context, this move will include the drafting of a memorandum, produced by the National Security Council and the White House Chief of Staff, that details how the U.S. military can ethically and effectively use AI to carry out its missions while also countering its use by adversaries.