The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) announced a massive step forward in strengthening homeland protection, awarding over 1,000 companies positions on the $151 billion Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) contract vehicle. This groundbreaking MA-IDIQ vehicle serves as the central acquisition backbone for the nation’s next-generation Golden Dome architecture, marking one of the largest-ceiling Missile Defense Contracts in history.
SHIELD: Accelerating Defense Modernization
The Missile Defense Contracts establish a competitive pool of 1,014 qualifying offerors selected from 2,463 total proposals. This wide selection base ensures rapid competition for task orders over the 10-year period, which extends through December 2035 if all options are exercised. The agency structured SHIELD to embrace speed and agility, requiring contractors to utilize artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), digital engineering, and open systems architectures for acquisition, development, and sustainment activities.
The Golden Dome initiative demands a comprehensive, multilayered defense system capable of detecting, tracking, and neutralizing advanced missile threats to the United States. While the base award obligates no initial funds, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) will obligate funding at the task-order level as it directs specific efforts across the country. This model allows the agency and other Department of Defense entities to rapidly compete orders under one flexible enterprise vehicle.
