There’s something profoundly comforting in the notion of a shield of protection, particularly one meant to prevent the world’s most lethal weapons from causing harm. For some, the sight of Israel’s Iron Dome bringing rockets down out of the air has been an image of security in an unsettled world. Yet as recent events have shown, even the latest defense technology isn’t invincible. The vision of an impregnable shield is still, for now, no more than a vision.
Israel’s aerial defense system is the envy of the world. It’s layered, with each layer prepared to defend against a different type of threat. There’s the Iron Dome, which is legendary for taking short-range rockets out of the air. The Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 systems are meant to take down ballistic missiles at high altitudes. David’s Sling is prepared to take care of medium-range threats. And its newest addition, Iron Beam, is a laser system designed to incinerate drones and rockets before they even reach them. It’s a technological fortress—and yet, when Iran launched its massive June 2025 missile and drone attack, that fortress was pushed to its limits like never before.
Some missiles broke through. A few hit central Israel, even striking the Kirya, the country’s main military headquarters in Tel Aviv. Israeli officials said the systems intercepted between 80 and 90 percent of the threats. That’s impressive, but when you’re facing hundreds of incoming weapons, even a small failure rate can mean real damage.
How did Iran get past such a powerful defense? The answer lies in scale, sophistication, and strategy. Iran has constructed the largest missile force in the Middle East—over 3,000 missiles, reports American intelligence. These are not all clunky, homemade rockets. Iran now has hypersonic missiles that travel at incredibly high speeds and can change direction in mid-air, making them nearly impossible to defend against. Some of them have hypersonic glide vehicles, which have unpredictable flight patterns. Cruise missiles are also included in the mix, descending low like drones and dodging radar systems.
One. Sure-fire is simply overwhelming the enemy. Iran flooded wave after wave of missiles and drones, trying to wear down Israel’s finite supply of interceptors. As King’s College London’s Marina Miron put it, you can’t shoot down everything if you don’t possess a large enough number of missiles to do so. Don’t forget to add in decoys. Don’t forget adding in radar-jamming schemes, and it becomes that much more challenging. For the defense.
Watching all this, the United States needed a system for itself. President Trump signed an executive order in January 2025 requesting a “next-generation missile defense system” to protect the U.S. against ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic missile threats. The Pentagon was instructed to sketch out a plan in two months, and defense companies were asked to submit their proposals. The goal: develop a shield that would guard cities as well as infrastructure and bases all across the nation.
But specialists are not convinced. Sidharth Kaushal of the Royal United Services Institute warned that developing a system like that for a country as large as the U.S. could hit an astronomical price tag, much greater than what the nation can afford. Marion Messmer of Chatham House added that it is a different matter to defend Israel; it’s a small country with relatively predictable threats. The U.S., however, would be defending itself from threats from every direction, including threats from submarines and long-distance threats coming thousands of miles.
There’s also the diplomatic hurdle. Missile defense systems won’t do much without international treaties to support them. The 2015 Iran nuclear agreement did not place any significant constraints on missiles—it only addressed nuclear material. According to Farzin Nadimi of The Washington Institute, that created a “missile-sized loophole.” Iran has since ramped up its missile program, conducting tests of more long-range missiles with improved accuracy and stealth capabilities. Nadimi believes that the next round of negotiations should involve tough limits on missile development and arsenals—otherwise, it’s locking the front door but leaving the windows open.
Missile defense is an endless game—one in which the finish line continuously shifts. As soon as defenders move forward, enemies constantly evolve to overcome them. There can’t be a perfect shield, and what happened in June 2025 was a harsh reminder of that. Despite the state-of-the-art systems, loopholes exist, though. The concept of complete protection sounds good, almost reassuring—but the world is a much dirtier place. In a world where threats develop rapidly and erratically, true safety isn’t found in the pursuit of perfection. It’s found in remaining vigilant, investing prudently, and being aware of the wider terrain.
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