Pentagon Inspector General declines to investigate Starshield disruption in Ukraine

The inspector forwarded the senators' request

The Inspector General of the US Department of Defense, Platt Moring, declined a request from a group of US senators to investigate disruptions in the operation of the Starlink and Starshield satellite communication systems in Ukraine. This was reported by Associated Press, citing Gazeta.Ru. In his official response, the inspector stated that the senators' questions would be better answered by the US Air Force. In the legislators' view, this means the Pentagon is unwilling to investigate SpaceX head Elon Musk.

Background: reports of Starshield restrictions

The request was prompted by a series of publications in late October. On October 23, The Economist reported, citing sources,that Musk had ordered restrictions on the operation of the military Starlink package known as Starshield, in order to punish Ukraine for strikes on Russian oil refineries. Then the entrepreneur stated on the social network Xthat Ukraine had used civilian Starlink to carry out strikes on Russia, thereby violating the system's terms of use; according to him, 'this loophole was closed last week.' Earlier, an expert discussed the consequences for the Ukrainian Armed Forces of Starlink usage violations.

What remains unclear

The inspector's position only means that the investigation requested by the senators will not begin at this level: the questions have been passed to the Air Force, and it remains unknown whether they will provide substantive answers. Musk's order to restrict Starshield itself remains a report based on The Economist's sources and has not been officially confirmed, nor has the senators' assessment of the Pentagon's motives for refusing.