The defense sector stands out as a source of relative stability in an otherwise volatile market. Anticipation is building around major projects—most notably the U.S. government’s proposed $175 billion Golden Dome missile-defense initiative—and investors have already driven shares of contractors like L3Harris and Northrop Grumman to record highs, even before contracts are awarded.
For those trying to identify the companies best positioned to benefit, public clues are starting to emerge.
Analysts are dissecting earnings call transcripts, parsing statements from defense officials, and monitoring early drafts of RFPs. (The Department of Defense, meanwhile, has banned its own officials from public discussion of the program.)
One less-watched but revealing indicator: hiring activity. Defense contractors and consultants are staffing, particularly in roles requiring security clearances. By ramping up security-cleared hiring, these companies are signaling not just readiness but also confidence in their own ability to win a share of the Golden Dome buildout.
Defense contractors prep for Golden Dome push
Recruiting activity on ClearanceJobs.com, a recruitment platform for roles that require security clearances, shows many roles placed in locations important to the Golden Dome project, such as Alabama, home to the Redstone Arsenal; Colorado Springs, where the U.S. Space Force is based; and metro D.C.
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Unveiled by President Donald Trump in May, the program aims to develop a space-based, layered defense shield to protect the U.S. from evolving missile threats.
Central to the plan is a $151 billion procurement vehicle known as SHIELD (Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense), which is being developed by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA).
Although formal contract awards aren’t expected until late 2025 or early 2026, major defense stocks have already rallied in anticipation of the program—reflecting investor confidence. But high valuations come with risk: if key players win fewer contracts than expected, their share prices are likely to fall.
Hiring data hat tips plans at 6 defense stocks
Hiring trends offer a strong signal of sector momentum. ClearanceJobs.com is showing a high volume of postings for hires with security clearances by companies that have a stated interest in Golden Dome projects.
No. 1: Northrup Grumman:
Northrop Grumman’s (NOC) shares have outperformed peers in recent months, boosted by strong second-quarter earnings and growing investor confidence in its space-based sensing and missile interception systems. Its CEO, Kathy Warden, has publicly stated Northrop’s readiness to take a leading role in the program’s architecture.
The West Falls Church, Va.-based company is clearly staffing up. With 2,365 security clearance postings on ClearanceJobs.com, it is currently hiring more than any other company on the platform. It also had the highest surge in postings from Q1 to Q2, when the Golden Dome project was announced.
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No. 2: L3Harris
L3Harris (LHX) , with capabilities spanning communications, sensors, and space-based defense, was flagged by Goldman Sachs as a likely leading Golden Dome beneficiary. The company is already expanding manufacturing capacity and actively aligning product lines with SHIELD’s expected requirements. L3Harris is among the top ten in the market for security-cleared talent, with 1,130 jobs posted on ClearanceJobs. It is also in the top ten for the biggest surge in postings from Q1 to Q2.
No. 3: Leidos
Leidos (LDOS) , which develops a range of air and missile defense systems, is also a top ten recruiter on ClearanceJobs, both in terms of current job postings (with 1,457) and its growth in postings from Q1 to Q2.
No. 4: Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin (LMT) , a historic heavyweight in missile defense, has drawn attention for its suite of interceptor systems and directed-energy weapons. At the 2025 Paris Air Show, Lockheed executives highlighted technologies directly relevant to Golden Dome’s mission, signaling their intent to compete for integration roles. The company’s recruiting efforts validate this: Lockheed has 1,731 postings on ClearanceJobs, coming in third behind Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.
No. 5: Amentum Holdings
Another company hiring heavily for security-cleared professionals is Amentum AMTM, founded in 2020 from AECOM’s Management Services Group. It is actively positioning itself to support the Golden Dome program as an integrator of mission systems and ground infrastructure.
The company, which has 1,325 jobs posted on ClearanceJobs, provides trusted enterprise services and multi-mission operations centers, offering tracking, telemetry, command, mission monitoring, and scalable integration with MDA’s space systems—services directly aligned with Golden Dome’s architecture.
No. 6: CACI International
CACI CACI is also marketing its capabilities—especially in data fusion, space situational awareness, electromagnetic-spectrum dominance, and command-and-control—as foundational to supporting Golden Dome’s sensor and decision systems. It has 1,344 job postings for security cleared professionals on ClearanceJobs.
Though SHIELD is still in its early stages, industry analysts anticipate a flurry of competitive activity once the initiative is formally launched. The Pentagon reportedly is planning to hold a full system flight test as early as late 2028.
For now, defense sector stock movements are driven by expectation, not execution. Meanwhile, with billions at stake, bipartisan support, and rising threats from hypersonic and AI-enabled weapons systems developed by China, Russia, and others, investors are betting that Golden Dome will shape the next decade of defense spending and hiring.
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