The Pentagon agency responsible for the more than $50 billion system of ground-based interceptors in Alaska and California designed to avoid just such a scenario isn’t happy about it. The movie, starring Idris Elba and Rebecca Ferguson, had a limited theater release and is now streaming on Netflix. A Missile Defense Agency internal memorandum argues that the doomsday scenario depicted in the movie is inaccurate. The Oct. 16 memo, a copy of which was obtained by Bloomberg News, is meant to make sure agency leadership “has situational awareness and is not ‘surprised’ by the topic, which may come up in conversations or meetings.” The object of the Missile Defense Agency’s angst is depiction of US missile defense as ineffective, especially in light of the fact that President Donald Trump wants to spend tens of billions of dollars on missile defense, including with his bid for a “Golden Dome” defensive umbrella.

The document, labeled “Only For Internal MDA and Department of War use and is not public releasable,” is dated a day after almost every member of the Pentagon press corps, including Bloomberg News, vacated the building rather than agree to rules that could restrict news gathering of documents such as the MDA assessment. It was prepared to “address false assumptions, provide correct facts and a better understanding” of the US’s currently deployed system, it said. While the film “highlights that deterrence can fail, which reinforces the need for an active homeland missile defense system,” its fictional portrayal also underestimates US capabilities, according to the memo. “The fictional interceptors in the movie miss their target and we understand this is intended to be a compelling part of the drama intended for the entertainment of the audience,” but results from real-world testing “tell a vastly different story,” the Pentagon says in the memo.

lol. lmao. um, if you would consult the real-world testing charts, you’d know we actually have a 10000% interception rate

As guidance for questions about the system’s cost, the memo avoids a dollar amount, saying “the cost is high but not nearly as high as the cost of allowing a nuclear missile to strike our nation.” A Government Accountability Office report in 2020 said the Pentagon had spent about $53 billion on the ground-based system and planned to spend about $10 billion through this year to continue developing, producing and sustaining it.

The system is managed by Boeing Co. and operated by personnel under the US Northern Command.

Accuracy Rate

One focus of the memo is a line in the movie in which the defense secretary, played by Jared Harris, laments that current missile defenses have a 50% chance of knocking down a missile despite their $50 billion price tag. The MDA says that’s based on earlier prototypes and today’s interceptors “have displayed a 100% accuracy rate in testing for more than a decade.”

holy shit, the above thing was a joke, but no, they actually genuinely claimed that they totally have a 100% rate. isn’t this the kind of blatant propaganda that only those pesky third-world dictatorships are supposed to engage in?

Experts dispute that. Laura Grego, a long-time missile defense critic with the Union of Concerned Scientists who has seen the film, said the scenario it depicts is the least threatening possible — a single missile on a known trajectory. Military tests have been similarly limited, she said. “A robust defense should anticipate facing multiple incoming ICBMs and credible decoys, and direct attacks on missile defense elements, but none of those were part of the story in this film,” Grego said. “The fictional threat is arguably about as easy as they come.” The Pentagon said in a statement to Bloomberg News that it wasn’t consulted for the film, which “does not reflect the views or priorities of this administration.” The system “remains a critical component of our national defense strategy, ensuring the safety and security of the American people and our allies.”

A Netflix spokesperson didn’t respond to a request for comment. A representative for Bigelow pointed to her remarks on CBS’s Sunday Morning arguing that she didn’t seek cooperation from the Pentagon. “I felt that we needed to be more independent,” she told CBS. “But that being said, we had multiple tech advisers who have worked in the Pentagon. They were with me every day we shot.”’ The Trump administration hasn’t disclosed substantive details of its still ill-defined Golden Dome land, sea and space-based defensive shield. Space Force General Michael Guetlein, the four-star general leading the effort, last month completed a blueprint for the program. The Pentagon declined to provide details about its scope or cost.

Estonia has reached an agreement with South Korea on a potential purchase of K239 Chunmoo MLRS. This is notable because Estonia already ordered U.S. M142 HIMARS broadly comparable systems but the interest may stem from insufficient delivery rates. According to The Korea Times, a memorandum of understanding was signed by the defence ministers of both countries during a meeting in Seoul. No further details on contract volume, price or delivery timelines have been released.

The report also notes Estonian interest in AS21 (K21) Redback infantry fighting vehicles. That aligns with Tallinn’s previously stated plans to replace CV90 IFVs, which it bought used in 2014 and which are approaching the end of their service life. From Defense Express’s perspective, Estonia’s interest in South Korean kit is not surprising: the country already operates 155 mm K9 SPHs. South Korea’s defence industry has also shown the ability to deliver equipment at scale and on relatively short schedules.

On the other hand, Estonia has already bought U.S. M142 HIMARS, which have broadly similar capabilities. Details of a previously reported $200 million contract are not public, but the export approval covered up to six launchers, 18 ATACMS rockets, 36 GMLRS packs (6 rockets each) and 72 ER GMLRS packs at a not-to-exceed price of $500 million. It’s worth noting that although the order was placed in 2022, the first systems only arrived this year, in 2025. Back in February, Estonia’s defence minister Hanno Pevkur publicly expressed frustration with those delivery timelines and raised the possibility of choosing an alternative. Recently, there were reports that Tallinn wants to buy additional HIMARS and associated munitions worth $4.73 billion. That deal has not been signed yet, so Chunmoo could still be selected instead. South Koreas defence industry can manufacture the requested systems quickly, and Poland is currently working to localize production of K239 ammunition which would provide local rounds supply though that effort is not yet finalised due to lack of funding from Warsaw.

“I will instruct the higher education and basic education ministers to begin teaching Portuguese in our schools,” Prabowo said at the Merdeka Palace in Central Jakarta on Thursday, October 23, 2025.

“This is proof that we regard the relationship between Brazil and Indonesia as highly important.”

The President’s statement came during a bilateral meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is in Indonesia for a state visit. Prabowo said the move reflects the strengthening partnership between the two nations.

During the meeting, the two leaders witnessed the signing of four cooperation agreements between Indonesia and Brazil.

“When I last met President Lula in July, we agreed to accelerate collaboration. In just two months, August and September, we’ve made remarkable progress,” Prabowo said.

He also announced that Indonesia and Brazil will soon begin drafting the Indonesia–Mercosur Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IM-CEPA), which is expected to bolster trade and economic growth for both nations.

“I believe this agreement will strengthen our partnership and help accelerate the economic growth of both countries, and the wider Latin American region,” he added.

Prabowo described Indonesia and Brazil as emerging global economic powers, with a combined population of around 500 million people. He also highlighted that both nations are members of the BRICS alliance (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa).

Meanwhile, President Lula da Silva expressed his intention to renew and expand strategic cooperation with Indonesia, particularly in technology, education, and trade.

“I have come to renew our strategic partnership and establish new agreements—not only in bilateral trade but also in new sectors such as artificial intelligence, data centralization, and scientific and technological collaboration,” Lula said.

He also emphasized the importance of building academic partnerships between universities in both countries and promoting balanced, mutually beneficial trade. “Indonesia is a strategic partner for Brazil,” he said.

President Lula da Silva arrived in Jakarta on Wednesday evening, October 22, 2025, via Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base. His visit is a reciprocal trip following President Prabowo’s state visit to Brasília in July 2025.

According to the Presidential Secretariat, the visit aims to further strengthen strategic cooperation between Indonesia and Brazil across multiple sectors.