The Pentagon inspector general’s office has declined to investigate reported restrictions on Ukraine’s military use of SpaceX satellite services, directing senators who requested the inquiry to the US Air Force and Space Force. The request concerned disruptions involving Starlink and its military counterpart, Starshield, both of which Ukraine uses.
Ukrainian officials said earlier in October that military drones traveling faster than 161 kilometers per hour, or 100 miles per hour, had lost satellite connectivity. The speed restriction was lifted after roughly 10 days. The senators sought answers about how the restrictions came about and how the Department of Defense responded.
Five Democratic senators and four Republican senators outlined their concerns in an October 15 letter to Department of Defense Inspector General Platte Moring. Their request covered the reported interruptions to both satellite services and sought an examination of the role, if any, played by SpaceX, the Pentagon or other parts of the US government.
Specifically, the lawmakers wanted investigators to determine whether those entities had directed, approved or put any restrictions into effect. They also asked whether limitations on the services complied with the relevant US government contracts and what steps, if any, the Defense Department had taken in response. The request thus covered both responsibility for the restrictions and the government’s handling of them.
According to CNN, Moring responded in a letter on Tuesday that the Air Force and Space Force should handle the questions. “They are better suited to address the matters raised in your letter and to coordinate any Department responses to your questions,” he wrote to the senators.
An inspector general’s office spokesperson told Ars Technica on October 29 that the office had carefully reviewed the congressional request and concluded that the department should address the issues. The spokesperson left open the possibility of revisiting that decision, saying, “Should new information come to light, we may reconsider.” Ars also asked the Defense Department whether it intended to investigate, but the source article included no response.
CNN reported that the satellite problems were discovered after the administration threatened to withhold intelligence from Kyiv over Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries. According to CNN’s account, the discovery also followed President Donald Trump’s deal to purchase Russian diesel and ease sanctions on Moscow.
