Markey Defends “A House of Dynamite,” Urges Pentagon to Provide Honest Missile Defense Information

Letter Text (PDF)

Washington (October 30, 2025) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today wrote to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, urging the Department of Defense (DoD) to provide the public with accurate information about missile defense and to not peddle misinformation for political gain. This letter comes on the heels of director Kathryn Bigelow's new thriller, A House of Dynamite, which accurately details the present dangers regarding nuclear war. However, the DoD is now claiming that the movie is inaccurate, in direct contradiction to the public record. The American public deserves the truth about nuclear war and how to avoid it.

In the letter, Senator Markey writes, "Given the film's consistency with the public record, it was surprising to read that the Pentagon is disputing the movie's accurate depiction of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system's past performance. According to Bloomberg, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is claiming in an October 16, 2025 internal memo that interceptors "have displayed a 100% accuracy rate in testing for more than a decade."

Senator Markey continues, "Unfortunately, this rosy assessment would appear to have everything to do with misleading the public and nothing to do with providing accurate information. MDA is apparently following the lead of President Trump who also exaggerates the success of missile defenses, promising that his Golden Dome system will be nearly perfect, "forever ending the missile threat to the American homeland." Pentagon and White House officials have a long history of overstating the effectiveness of the GMD system."

Senator Markey requests the following information by November 15, 2025:

1. What is the test record of the GMD system over the last 30 years? Please include successes, near-successes and failures, and intercept and non-intercept tests.
2. What data supports the MDA claim that GMD tests "have displayed a 100% accuracy rate in testing for more than a decade"?
3. In what ways are GMD tests as close as possible to real-world engagements, and in what ways are they not?
4. Please provide plans for testing of the GMD system over the next five years.

This week, Senator Markey published an op-ed on "A House of Dynamite," emphasizing the need for a nuclear security policy focused on arms reduction and non-proliferation. In July, Senator Markey introduced the Senate companion to H.Res.317, urging the United States to lead the world in halting the nuclear arms race.

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