General Michael Guetlein
U.S. Space Force, Vice Chief of Space Operations
Michael Anthony Guetlein was born in November 1967 in Oklahoma. He earned an undergraduate degree from Oklahoma State University and joined the U.S. Air Force through ROTC upon graduation. He received an M.B.A. from Wright State University and a master’s in organizational management from George Washington University. He earned a master’s in national security and policy making from the Naval War College. He attended the Air War College as well.
Guetlein served in the U.S. Air Force in the Special Operations Program Office at Wright Patterson Air Force Base before serving at the B-2 Program Office. He later became executive officer of the Engineering Directorate. He served as an AC-140U gunship sortie generation flight commander, then an AC-130H gunship flight commander. He interned at the Pentagon while studying at George Washington University. He was a program manager, director, and then executive officer of various programs at Los Angeles Air Force Base
Guetlein later served in the Pentagon as the counterspace program element monitor, then as military assistant to the assistant secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition. He became commander of Peterson Air Force Base’s Rapid Reaction Squadron. He was a fellow at SpaceX and led the Space-Based Infrared System Production Division. He served as Remote Sensing Systems Directorate director then program officer in the Missile Defense Agency. He served as deputy director of the National Reconnaissance Office NRO, simultaneously commanding the Air Force element.
Guetlein transferred to the U.S. Space Force in 2021 and was appointed commander of Space Systems Command. He was nominated to vice chief of space operations in July 2023 and confirmed in December. President Trump appointed General Guetlein as program manager of the Golden Dome initiative in May 2025.
Guetlein is married to Rachel, with whom he has four children.
In the News…
President Donald Trump appointed Space Force General Michael Guetlein to head the development of the Golden Dome space-based missile defense system. The massive missile defense system, inspired by Israel’s Iron Dome system, is intended to shield the entire U.S.
“He has an unmatched background in missile warning technology and defense procurement,” President Trump announced. “General Guetlein also knows that we need to move fast. No one is more qualified for this job.”
“Golden Dome is a bold and aggressive approach to hurry up and protect the homeland from our adversaries,” General Guetlein said. “We owe it to our children and our children’s children to protect them and afford them a quality of life that we have all grown up enjoying. Golden Dome will afford that.”
The president issued an executive order to get the missile defense system development rolling. “This design for the Golden Dome will integrate with our existing defense capabilities and should be fully operational before the end of my term,” President Trump said. “So we’ll have it done in about three years.”
