Pentagon declines Senate request to investigate Starlink restrictions in Ukraine

The Pentagon's Inspector General has declined to investigate disruptions to Starlink and Starshield satellite communications in Ukraine, despite a bipartisan request from nine U.S. senators. The office referred the matter to the U.S. Air Force instead. The senators, including four Republicans and five Democrats, sought to determine who decided to restrict the satellite service and whether U.S. officials were involved. They also wanted to assess if the outages affected intelligence sharing and threat warnings, as the restrictions complicated Ukraine's interception of Russian attack drones. In an October 27 response, the Inspector General stated the issues fall under Air Force jurisdiction, though a review is possible if new information emerges. Senator Jeanne Shaheen criticized the decision, noting conflicting explanations from the Trump administration and SpaceX, while Elon Musk has acknowledged limiting Starlink speeds and President Trump denied issuing such orders.