The Pentagon refused to investigate restrictions on Starlink’s operation in Ukraine – AP
Kyiv • UNN
The Pentagon’s inspector general rejected a request from nine senators for an independent investigation into disruptions to Starlink and Starshield in Ukraine.
The Pentagon inspector general rejected a request from U.S. senators to investigate the recent slowdown in Starlink satellite communications and the Starshield military system in Ukraine. The decision raised concerns among lawmakers over Elon Musk’s influence on defense communications. Associated Press reports, as cited by UNN.
Details
Nine U.S. senators—four Republicans and five Democrats—requested the review. They demanded an explanation of the causes of disruptions to the satellite systems used by Ukraine.
In his response, the Pentagon inspector general said that the issues raised fell under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Air Force. According to an aide to one of the lawmakers, this effectively amounts to a refusal to independently investigate Musk and his company, SpaceX.
U.S. Senate calls for an independent review
Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who signed the request, criticized the oversight body’s decision.
It is concerning that the inspector general appears to have decided not to investigate disruptions to the satellite communications on which Ukraine relies to protect its civilian population
Shaheen also stressed that the Donald Trump administration and SpaceX had provided conflicting explanations for the outages.
According to her, an independent review is necessary to identify those responsible for the disruptions and prevent similar incidents in the future.
Earlier, Elon Musk said that Starlink should remain a civilian system because he feared possible Russian attacks on satellites in space. At the same time, he claimed that SpaceX had done more to protect Ukraine than any other private company in the world.