WASHINGTON — The Pentagon's watchdog is refusing a bipartisan request to investigate recent disruptions to Starlink and Starshield satellite internet service to Ukraine, the Associated Press reported, raising concerns among lawmakers that the military and even its independent inspector general are reluctant to confront the influence SpaceX chief Elon Musk holds over defence communications.

Source: Associated Press via KCAU 9

A bipartisan group of nine senators — four Republicans and five Democrats, led by Republican Senator Thom Tillis and Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen — had asked the inspector general for an immediate investigation into whether any Pentagon or other US government officials directed, authorised, approved, or had advance knowledge of changes to intelligence-sharing arrangements, warning capabilities, or Starlink and Starshield services affecting Ukraine. Ukrainian officials reported this month that their connection speeds were being throttled, and said the restrictions impeded their ability to intercept fast-moving Russian attack drones.

In a letter dated Tuesday, Pentagon Inspector General Platte Moring told the senators their questions about the slowdowns and their impacts should be directed to the US Air Force and Space Force. “They are better suited to address the matters raised in your letter and to coordinate any Department responses to your questions,” Moring wrote, in a letter first reported by the Associated Press and also obtained by CNN.

Source: CNN via KION Central Coast

A spokeswoman for the inspector general's office, Mollie Halpern, said the watchdog “carefully considered the congressional request and determined that the matters raised were best addressed by the Department”, referring to the Pentagon. “Should new information come to light, we may reconsider,” Halpern added. The Pentagon referred a request for comment to the inspector general's office, while the Air Force did not immediately respond, the AP reported. A congressional aide familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the reply is being seen as the inspector general's refusal to investigate Musk and Starlink despite being well-positioned to do so.

Conflicting accounts of who slowed the service

The refusal leaves the central question unanswered. Musk acknowledged this past weekend that SpaceX had throttled Starlink in Ukraine, accusing the Ukrainian military of violating the service's terms by using it “for offensive drone strikes to kill people”, and said “that loophole was closed last week”. He maintained that Starshield, the military-grade system, “is controlled by the US government”. President Donald Trump has said he did not order any restrictions, while Vice President JD Vance has hinted at White House coordination with Musk. Ukrainian officials denied violating the terms, and Zelensky adviser Serhiy Sternenko said it was “not true” that Ukraine could use commercial Starlink for medium- and long-range strikes into Russia. Speeds were fully restored only this past Saturday, CNN reported.

Shaheen, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement on Wednesday: “It is concerning that the Inspector General has apparently decided not to investigate satellite communication disruptions that Ukraine relies on to protect its civilians. The Trump Administration and SpaceX have provided conflicting accounts of what led to those disruptions, which weakened Ukraine's defenses and put American personnel in Ukraine at risk unnecessarily. There must be an independent accounting and review to determine responsibility and prevent this from happening in the future. I urge the Inspector General to conduct a full investigation.”

Why it matters

Starlink and Starshield are critical to Ukraine's wartime connectivity, and the aide said concerns on Capitol Hill over Musk's control of Starlink go back years and were part of the reason Starshield was created. The interruption is not the first: in 2022 Musk ordered a Starlink blackout in regions including Kherson and Donetsk, citing concern about Russian escalation. Following this month's slowdowns, Finnish satellite company Iceye announced it was partnering with Nokia and Ukraine's defence ministry to explore sovereign satellite communications.