WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon watchdog refuses a bipartisan request to investigate recent Starlink disruptions and Starshield satellite internet service to Ukraine, sparking concerns among lawmakers that the military and even its independent inspector general are reluctant to confront SpaceX chief Elon Musk’s influence over defense communications.
A bipartisan group of senators called for the Pentagon inspector general ordered to investigate after Ukrainian officials reported this month that their connection speeds were limited to the Musk-made Starlink service and its military-grade version, Starshield. They are essential to Ukraine’s wartime connectivityand officials said the restrictions prevented the interception capability fast Russian attack drones.
In a response dated Tuesday and obtained by The Associated Press, the Pentagon watchdog told the group of nine lawmakers — four Republicans and five Democrats — that the Air Force would better address their concerns.
This is seen as the inspector general’s refusal to investigate Musk and Starlink, although he is well-positioned to do so, according to a congressional aide familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue.
“It is concerning that the inspector general has apparently decided not to investigate disruptions to satellite communications that Ukraine relies on to protect its civilians,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who signed the initial letter, said in a statement to the AP.
Shaheen added that “the Trump administration and SpaceX have provided conflicting accounts of what led to these disruptions” and that “there must be independent accounting and review to determine accountability and prevent this from happening in the future.”
The lack of answers raises questions about the power that Musk, an ally of President Donald Trump, has over the critical communications system. The congressional aide said concerns on Capitol Hill about Musk’s control of Starlink go back years and were partly behind the creation of Starshield, the version aimed at the military.
Questions abound about who authorized the slowdown
Asked about the slowdown, the Trump administration proposed confusing and sometimes contradictory explanations about who was behind the decision.
Musk admitted last weekend that SpaceX had strangled Starlink in Ukraine, accusing the country of violating its terms of service, which Ukrainian officials have denied. But Musk maintained that the US government controlled all changes to Starshield. Trump said he had not ordered any restrictions, while Vice President JD Vance hinted at White House coordination with Musk.
Asked about the investigation’s decision, a spokeswoman for the inspector general’s office, Mollie Halpern, said the watchdog “carefully reviewed Congress’s request and determined that the issues raised were best addressed by the department,” referring to the Pentagon.
“Should new information emerge, we may reconsider our decision,” Halpern added.
The Pentagon directed a request for comment to the inspector general’s office, while the Air Force did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Both have previously refused to answer questions about limiting satellite internet access in Ukraine.
THE nine lawmakers had asked the Pentagon’s inspector general to investigate whether Pentagon or other U.S. government officials “ordered, authorized, approved, or had advance knowledge of changes to intelligence-sharing agreements, warning capabilities, or Starlink and Starshield services affecting Ukraine.”
The congressional aide said lawmakers needed answers to two key questions: whether U.S. government officials were involved and whether Musk was exploiting a loophole in the system. These responses would help inform future monitoring efforts and legislation, the aide said.
This interruption is not the first time Musk has interfered with Ukraine’s Starlink connection. In 2022, at the start of the conflict, Musk ordered a Starlink outage in regions like Kherson and Donetsk, expressing concern about possible Russian escalation.
Following Starlink slowdowns this month, the Finnish satellite company Iceye announced its partnership with telecommunications company Nokia and the Ukrainian Defense Ministry to explore cooperation in space, “particularly in the construction of sovereign satellite communications.”
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