The refusal of the founder of the American company SpaceX Elon Musk to allow the Ukrainian Armed Forces to use Starlink satellite Internet for operations against the invading Russian army in the territory of temporarily occupied Crimea last September raises the question of whether the Pentagon should in the future report the use of services and products for military purposes. which the US Department of Defense purchases from contractors.
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This was stated by US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, writes PBS.
At the time of Musk’s refusal at Kyiv’s request, the company did not have a military contract: Starlink provided Ukraine with its terminals free of charge in response to a full-scale invasion by the aggressor country of Russia. However, a few months later, the US military funded these services for Ukraine and formally awarded Starlink a contract to extend support. The Pentagon is not disclosing the terms or value of the contract, citing security concerns.
The Pentagon and US Senator from the Democratic Party Elizabeth Warren, who is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called on the Pentagon to review their relationship with Musk. In her opinion, American legislators should investigate the episode when Musk allegedly thwarted an attack by the Ukrainian military in Crimea.
Congress must investigate what happened and whether we have the appropriate tools to ensure that international policy is led by the government, and not by one billionaire,” Bloomberg quotes Warren as saying.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.