Golden Dome, Air Defense & Drone Swarms
- charles@droneresponders.org
- Jun 16
- 2 min read
A Guest Blog from Michelle A. Duquette, Board Member, DRONERESPONDERS
We're seeing a lot of flurry around the Golden Dome concept within our federal agencies. I appreciate the intent of Air Defense for all threats, especially given the new light show happening between Israel and Iran now.
Even with this concept, though, I don't see how we can achieve drone swarm protection at the local level.
I'm thinking about hospitals, schools, senior complexes, industrial parks, places of worship, and other locations considered "critical infrastructure" for communities. Any one place can form the heart of a community, and to be unable to protect it is unthinkable.
Enter a new drone role for state government:
Set up your own drone sandboxes, prioritizing drone defense Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) for rural communities and urban cities. Design strategies that protect what's most important to them. These“minidomes” will also provide redundant layers of protection beneath the Golden Dome federal critical infrastructure protection capabilities.
How States get started now:
𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 for multi-sensor detection, U.S.-made counter-UAS equipment, and standardized training.
𝗘𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗯𝗼𝘅𝗲𝘀 near critical sites to safely field-test new technologies and protocols.
𝗙𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 such as public-private collaborations, federal innovation units, cross-sector advisory groups, and academic alliances are key to rapid, responsible implementation.
𝗖𝗼𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗙𝗔𝗔 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 to ensure airspace safety and compliance.
𝗔𝗱𝗼𝗽𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱, 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸-𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀, starting with the most vulnerable sites.Leverage Public-Private Innovation to accelerate MVP development and share best practices across states, similar to how NASAO - National Association of State Aviation Officials coordinates AAM.
I'm happy to share a portfolio of sandbox elements I've been curating for interoperability, which could be a quick start for states without much experience with drone partnerships.P.S. I'm therefore looking for lightweight drone defense systems to add to my portfolio to explore local-level protection services in anticipation of extended SLTT authorities in the near future. High-Powered Microwave (HPM) is within scope. It must meet NDAA and NATO requirements.
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Kind Regards,
Michelle
Michelle A. Duquette
3 MAD Air CEO
Email: michelle@3madair.com

In terms of partnerships, Civil Air Patrol has had a 'Counter Drone' program with the US Air Force for some time. Agencies/States interested in engaging CAP for assistance in developing threat emergence type programs can contact their CAP Wings to begin establishing those relationships. In many cases, the cost for this type of program may be negligible to absent. CAP works closely with USAF Reserve and Air National Guard components also, so there may be a some benefit to engaging from 'Military Support to Civil Authority' agreements and directives to help with establishing air defense vulnerabilities for critical infrastructure. This is a PDF of CAP operations capabilities at a glance -- https://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/media/cms/Capabilities_brochure1_28FAD9BEE9832.pdf