Follow-Up: Senator Blumenthal Opens Inquiry into Ukraine's Loss of Starshield Service, Asks Hegseth Who Ordered the Cap
Reuters reported on October 22 that U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut has written to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asking him to open an inquiry into Ukrainian forces' loss this month of SpaceX's Starshield military satellite-internet service. Blumenthal is the senior Democrat on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.
In the letter, Blumenthal wrote: "Late at night on October 13, Ukrainian forces lost their critical access to Starshield... the rates necessary for their equipment to maintain network connectivity were limited." He asked the Pentagon who controls Ukraine's access to Starshield, what alternatives the Pentagon has, and whether the change was directed by the White House, the Defense Department or SpaceX.
Because Republicans control the Senate, Democrats lack subpoena power, making the letter largely an exercise in public pressure. "The underlying question remains unanswered — about who controls a critical capability on which the U.S. government has spent billions of dollars," Blumenthal wrote.
The Wall Street Journal previously reported that the decision to slow Starshield service for Ukraine was authorized by Elon Musk himself; President Trump later said he had not known of it, saying use of Starshield for offensive strikes inside Russia would go beyond the U.S. authorization; Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. had never asked for any restriction. GSM has covered the episode in a series of reports; Blumenthal's letter marks the first time the matter has entered a formal congressional inquiry.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：「星链」卫星列队划过夜空（资料图）。照片：M. Lewinsky，CC BY 4.0，经Wikimedia Commons。Photo: Starlink satellites passing overhead (file photo). Photo: M. Lewinsky, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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