US has for years asked Musk to alter Starlink service in Ukraine, Middle East, sources say
Both the Biden and Trump administrations secretly asked Elon Musk to switch Starlink on or off in countries including Ukraine, Iran and Yemen, raising questions about a private company shaping US…
Well before the throttling this month of Ukraine's military access to Musk's satellite communications system, the Biden and Trump administrations had several times asked SpaceX to turn its Starlink service on or off in various countries, according to six former senior US officials.
Reuters reports that US administrations under both Biden and Trump repeatedly asked SpaceX to control Starlink access in multiple countries as a foreign policy tool.
Requests included cutting off Iranian proxy militias in Yemen and Lebanon, and activating service inside Iran after US-Israeli strikes to support anti-government protesters.
European officials are now alarmed by their dependence on a private US company for military satellite communications, with no viable short-term alternative currently available.
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