Musk to Hand Over Part of Starlink Network to Pentagon for Use in Ukraine War
American billionaire Elon Musk has decided to transfer control of a portion of the Starlink satellite communication network from his company, SpaceX, to the Pentagon for its use in the Ukraine war against Russia. This decision was made to avoid further responsibility for the network's operations and usage rules.
This development was reported by his biographer, Walter Isaacson, in an interview with The Washington Post.
This move allows Musk to distance himself from the operation of Starlink in Ukraine, including in Crimea, as well as any consequences arising from its use by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The decision was made following a barrage of criticism aimed at Musk for refusing to activate the Starlink service near the shores of Crimea.
"I believe it's the right outcome that Elon Musk decided to sell a certain amount of Starlink equipment and grant full control to the Pentagon. Starlink provides services to the U.S. military, so he will no longer control the geozoning. He will no longer control the terms of use," explained Musk's biographer.
According to Isaacson, after facing criticism for his refusal to activate the Starlink service near Crimea, Musk questioned, "Why am I in this war?"
"I created Starlink so that people could relax, watch movies on Netflix, and play video games. I didn't intend to create something that could lead to a nuclear war," he was quoted as saying.
Isaacson also noted that the entrepreneur had even created a military version of Starlink called "Starshield."
"I think he has signaled that he needs to step aside because he even believes he shouldn't have so much power—better for the U.S. government to make decisions regarding the potential use of Starlink by the Ukrainian Armed Forces," the biographer added.
Recalling that last year, billionaire Elon Musk secretly ordered his engineers to disconnect the Starlink satellite network near Crimea to thwart a Ukrainian attack on the Russian Navy, as described in Isaacson's biographical book.
"When Ukrainian underwater drones laden with explosives approached the Russian fleet, they lost communication and, without causing harm, washed ashore," the book reveals.
Musk's decision, which prompted Ukrainian officials to request the reactivation of Starlink, was driven by a "sharp fear that Russia would respond to Ukraine's attack on Crimea with nuclear weapons."
Musk's concerns about a "mini-Pearl Harbor," as he put it, in Crimea did not materialize.
American Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren demanded an investigation into Elon Musk and SpaceX over the Starlink satellite network's blocking during Ukraine's attack on the Russian fleet in Crimea.
"Congress needs to investigate what happened here and whether we have adequate tools to ensure that foreign policy is conducted by the government and not by a single billionaire," Warren stated.
In response, Musk asserted that he could not have deactivated the Starlink satellite network near the occupied Crimea because the service had never been operational there.
"The specified regions of Starlink's operation were not activated. SpaceX did not deactivate anything," Musk wrote.
However, he added that the Ukrainian authorities had urgently requested him to activate Starlink "all the way to Sevastopol."
Nevertheless, Musk declined because he did not want SpaceX to be involved in a major act of war and its escalation.