Nine senators from both parties demanded an immediate Pentagon investigation into disruptions that knocked out satellite communications and intelligence-sharing systems used by Ukraine, warning the outages endangered American personnel during Russian air attacks.
The letter, sent Thursday to Defense Department Inspector General Platte Moring III, was led by Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina. Seven colleagues signed it, including Republicans Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and John Cornyn.
According to the senators, Ukrainian forces lost critical Starlink and Starshield connectivity between October 12 and 14. Starshield is the military version of SpaceX’s Starlink network. Ukrainian military testing reportedly found terminals dropped connections above roughly 63 miles per hour, a limit that hits drones and aircraft hardest, and the letter says SpaceX acknowledged a restriction at 100 miles per hour.
The lawmakers wrote they were “particularly alarmed” by reports that American diplomatic, military and security personnel struggled to reach designated bunkers during Russian air raids while intelligence-sharing and early-warning systems faltered. They want the inspector general to determine whether US officials authorised, directed or knew in advance about the restrictions, and whether decisions by the Pentagon or its contractors played a role.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied any American role. He said reports of White House involvement were “categorically false” and that the commercial service had returned to normal, adding that Starshield remains a defense product Ukraine does not currently have access to.
The senators asked for an initial briefing on the investigation by November 1.
Source: IANS / New Kerala
