Democratic Senator Jack Reed, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced on Thursday that he would launch an “aggressive investigation” against Elon Musk for denying service from his Starlink satellite system to Ukraine: “Neither Elon Musk nor any private citizen can do this.” the final word on U.S. national security issues. »
Vladimir Putin had praised Musk as an “extraordinary human being” just days after he revealed that he had ordered SpaceX to disable communications at its Starlink satellite subsidiary near the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by the Kremlin in 2014. In doing so, he hoped to prevent a sustained Ukrainian attack on the Russian fleet at the Sevastopol naval base despite urgent requests from Kiev.
He said he rejected the requests because if they had been approved, “SpaceX would have explicitly engaged in a serious act of war and escalation of the conflict.” He feared the Ukraine war would escalate into a nuclear conflict.
Musk threatens national security?
Democratic Senators Warren, Duckworth and Shaheen point out that Musk and SpaceX pose major threats to the United States and its allies. “We are deeply concerned about SpaceX’s ability and willingness to interrupt its service at Mr. Musk’s whim in order to impede the self-defense of a sovereign country and thereby effectively defend Russian interests.” »
They want the Senate investigation to determine whether Musk personally intervened “to undermine a key partner of the United States at a critical time, and if so, how and why he was allowed to do so.”
Starlink allows you to use low-orbit satellites over the Internet. The system was designed for civilian purposes, but Kiev uses it for Ukraine’s military communications. After the Russian invasion, Musk gave Starlink to Ukraine for free, but banned its use to operate drones crucial to his fight against Russia.
Musk gives in to the Pentagon
Musk said he would have approved the request to expand Starlink’s range if it had been made by the White House. At the time of the incident, SpaceX was not under contract with the US armed forces. Since the September 2022 incident, the Pentagon has purchased Starlink services directly from SpaceX, allowing the US government to determine what Ukraine can do with the system.
Elon Musk – the richest man in the world – is extremely intelligent and a bizarre, impulsive and unpredictable creature. He suffers from Asperger’s syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder. He recognizes the influence of the syndrome on his decision-making…
A former Pentagon official told the New Yorker that Musk regularly had direct conversations with Vladimir Putin. I hope the Senate committee will subpoena him to question him about his conversations with Putin and his decision to withdraw Starlink services from Ukraine.