The Pentagon is proposing legislation to Congress to prevent contractors from registering trademarks that use the Missile Defense Agency's name and seal, a protective measure aimed at safeguarding government authority over a portfolio that is experiencing unprecedented budget growth.

The proposal, submitted to Congress on May 19 for inclusion in the fiscal year 2027 defense policy bill, would add statutory protections for MDA comparable to existing safeguards that shield the names and seals of other federal intelligence and military agencies.

“There have been two previous attempts by contractors that have helped field a missile defense system to submit a trademark for the weapon system that included the name 'Missile Defense Agency (MDA),'" according to the proposal's section-by-section analysis.

The proposed legislation would establish a broad prohibition stating that "no person may knowingly use, in connection with any merchandise, retail product, impersonation, solicitation, or commercial activity in a manner reasonably calculated to convey the impression that such use is approved, endorsed, or authorized by the Secretary, any of the following (or any colorable imitation thereof): The words 'Missile Defense Agency' and the seal of the Missile Defense Agency."

Under the proposal's enforcement mechanism, the attorney general would gain authority to initiate civil proceedings in federal district court to enjoin unauthorized uses of MDA's name or seal.

The proposal mirrors protections already in place for other Defense Department and federal agencies, including the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, as well as non-Defense Department entities including the CIA and NASA.

The budget trajectory underlying the initiative underscores the stakes: the missile defeat and defense programs portfolio is budgeted at $82.2 billion in FY-27, nearly doubling the $43.3 billion requested for FY-26.

MDA is positioned to oversee nearly $26 billion of that total in FY-27, making it the largest single institutional component of DOD's total missile defense spending, drawing from its own direct budget request and the newly created Golden Dome for America Fund.