The US Senate Armed Services Committee is currently investigating Elon Musk’s decision to not extend Starlink satellite internet coverage to enable a Ukraine attack on a Russian warship near Crimea, according to a report by Bloomberg. Chairman Jack Reed stated that the committee is aggressively looking into the issue from various angles, highlighting the serious national-security liability concerns that this incident has raised. The committee is in the process of gathering information and has not yet initiated a formal investigation.
This development came to light through an excerpt from a biography of Elon Musk written by Walter Isaacson. The disputed excerpt claimed that Musk deactivated Starlink access in the vicinity of the Crimean coast to prevent a potential Ukrainian attack on the Russian fleet. Musk, on the other hand, refuted this claim and stated that Starlink was not operational in those areas due to US sanctions against Russia, implying that SpaceX had nothing to disable. In a recent podcast, Musk mentioned that he would have extended Starlink coverage to Crimea had he received an order from President Biden, but no such directive was given to him.
Musk clarified that he denied Ukraine’s request to activate Starlink all the way to Sevastopol because it would have made SpaceX explicitly complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation. He justified his decision by stating that agreeing to the request would have led to SpaceX being involved in a significant international conflict. He expressed his concerns about the potential consequences and repercussions that could arise from such a decision. Musk’s response on social media regarding this matter was swift, and he emphasized the reasons behind his denial. The disputed excerpt from the biography will be revised in future editions.
Members of the Senate committee have raised questions about why the decision was left to Musk rather than government officials. Reed stated that neither Elon Musk nor any private citizen can have the final say when it comes to matters of US national security. He underscored the importance of exclusive government authority in making such decisions. It is worth noting that SpaceX did not receive any payments from the US government for its Ukraine Starlink operations at the time of Ukraine’s request, but it now receives funding from the Pentagon.
The timing of the probe’s announcement is notable, as it comes shortly before Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to the US and his scheduled meeting with President Biden. In addition to the Starlink controversy, SpaceX is a significant US defense contractor responsible for launching spy satellites for the Defense Department. The company’s involvement in sensitive national security matters adds another layer of complexity to the investigation.
As the Senate committee continues its investigation and gathers more information, it is likely to explore the motivations behind Musk’s decision, the impact on US-Ukraine relations, and the potential implications for national security. The outcome of the probe could have significant ramifications for both SpaceX and the broader discussion surrounding private companies’ involvement in matters of national security. The committee’s findings will shed light on whether government oversight and intervention are necessary to prevent similar incidents in the future.