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The Pentagon’s independent watchdog has declined a bipartisan request to investigate recent disruptions to Starlink and its military counterpart, Starshield, in Ukraine. The decision has raised concerns among lawmakers that the Defense Department and even its independent inspector general may be unwilling to challenge SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s influence over critical defense communications, the Associated Press reports.
A bipartisan group of US senators asked the Pentagon’s inspector general to investigate after Ukrainian officials reported this month that connection speeds had been restricted on Starlink, developed by Musk’s company, and its military version, Starshield.
The systems are critical to communications in Ukraine during the war. Ukrainian officials said the restrictions hampered efforts to intercept fast-moving Russian attack drones.
In a response dated Tuesday and obtained by the Associated Press, the watchdog told the nine lawmakers — four Republicans and five Democrats — that their concerns would be better addressed by the US Air Force.
An aide to one of the lawmakers, who was familiar with the matter, described the decision as a refusal by the inspector general to investigate Musk and Starlink despite having the authority to do so. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
“It is concerning that the inspector general has apparently chosen not to investigate disruptions to satellite communications that Ukraine relies on to defend its civilian population,” Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the leading Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a signatory to the original request, told the AP.
Shaheen added that the Trump administration and SpaceX had offered conflicting explanations for the disruptions. An independent investigation was needed to establish what happened, identify those responsible and prevent similar incidents in the future, she said.
The lack of answers has raised questions about the extent of Musk’s influence over a critical communications system. Musk is an ally of President Donald Trump.
According to the congressional aide, concerns on Capitol Hill about Musk’s control over Starlink date back several years and were among the reasons for developing Starshield, a version of the service designed for military use.
Questions remain over who authorized the restrictions
The Trump administration has offered confusing and, at times, contradictory explanations about who was responsible for the decision to restrict the service.
Over the weekend, Musk acknowledged that SpaceX had limited Starlink speeds in Ukraine, accusing the country of violating the service’s terms of use. Ukrainian officials rejected the allegation.
Musk has also maintained that any changes to Starshield’s operations were under the control of the US government.
Trump said he had not ordered any restrictions, while Vice President JD Vance suggested that the White House had coordinated its actions with Musk.
Asked about the decision not to investigate, Molly Halpern, a spokeswoman for the inspector general’s office, said the watchdog had “carefully reviewed the congressional request and determined that the issues raised would be best addressed by the Department itself,” referring to the Pentagon.
“If new information comes to light, we may reconsider this decision,” Halpern added.
The Pentagon referred questions to the inspector general’s office, while the US Air Force did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Both organizations had previously declined to answer questions about the restrictions on satellite internet speeds in Ukraine.
The nine lawmakers had asked the inspector general to determine whether any Pentagon officials or other US government personnel had “directed, authorized, approved or had advance knowledge of changes to arrangements involving intelligence sharing, early-warning capabilities, or Starlink and Starshield services that affected Ukraine.”
According to the congressional aide, lawmakers want answers to two central questions: whether US government officials were involved and whether Musk exploited a gap in the system.
Those answers would help determine what further congressional oversight and legislative action might be necessary, the aide said.
Previous Starlink restrictions
This is not the first time Musk has intervened in Starlink’s operations in Ukraine. In 2022, early in the full-scale war, he ordered the service switched off in parts of the Kherson and Donetsk regions, citing concerns about possible escalation by Russia.
Following this month’s Starlink speed restrictions, Finnish satellite company Iceye announced a partnership with telecommunications company Nokia and Ukraine’s Defense Ministry to explore cooperation in the space sector, including the development of an independent satellite communications system.
