Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has called for an investigation into SpaceX CEO Elon Musk after it was revealed he declined to activate his satellite internet service Starlink for a Ukrainian attack on the Russian Black Sea fleet in Crimea.
The incident took place in September 2022 and was revealed by excerpts from a new biography of Musk. According to Musk, Ukraine made an emergency request to activate Starlink near Sevastopol, Crimea, and the clear implication was that it was for an attack on Russian warships. He denied the request over fears of escalating the war.
“Congress needs to investigate what’s happened here, and whether we have adequate tools to make sure foreign policy is conducted by the government and not by one billionaire,” Warren said on Monday.
Ukrainian officials have slammed Musk for disrupting a planned attack on Russia’s fleet. Musk said Starlink was never meant to be used for war, although his company began shipping thousands of terminals to Ukraine shortly after Russia invaded in February 2022.
At the time of the incident, SpaceX was providing the Starlink service to Ukraine on its own and was not under a contract with the US military. But since then, the Pentagon began footing the bill for Ukraine’s Starlink service and entered a contract with SpaceX, the details of which have not been disclosed.
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said Monday that the September 2022 incident raised concerns within the Pentagon about the need to be more specific when it comes to contracting services from companies like SpaceX. “If we’re going to rely upon commercial architectures or commercial systems for operational use, then we have to have some assurances that they’re going to be available,” he said.
by Dave DeCamp
Join: 👉 https://t.me/acnewspatriots
The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of AC.NEWS
Disclaimer: This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author. The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). AC.News will not be responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect statement in this article www.ac.news websites contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of “fair use” in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, health, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than “fair use” you must request permission from the copyright owner. Reprinting this article: Non-commercial use OK. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than “fair use” you must request permission from the copyright owner.
Disclaimer: The information and opinions shared are for informational purposes only including, but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material are not intended as medical advice or instruction. Nothing mentioned is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Discussion about this post