Pentagon watchdog faces Nov. 1 deadline from bipartisan senators on Ukraine Starshield disruptions

By Anselm Dorsey

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon’s inspector general has until Sunday to tell a bipartisan group of nine senators whether it will investigate this month’s disruptions to Ukraine’s Starshield satellite service and to U.S. early-warning intelligence, and to give them an initial briefing. The office has made no public response.

The U.S. government has denied that it cut back intelligence sharing with Ukraine, Stars and Stripes reported. President Trump has denied that his administration interfered with Ukraine’s Starshield access and said he spoke with SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk about the limits; Musk has said that Ukraine’s military violated Starlink’s terms of service. Ukraine said service was restored to earlier speeds on Oct. 24, as the Inquisitor reported.

The Oct. 15 letter to Inspector General Platte B. Moring was led by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), the ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). It was joined by Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). It asks for written confirmation of the investigation’s status and an initial briefing by Nov. 1.

What the senators want examined

The senators wrote that they were alarmed by reports that U.S. diplomatic, military and security personnel in Ukraine had “serious difficulties” reaching designated bunkers during air raids. “The precise cause of these incidents, including whether they resulted from technical failures, interruptions in intelligence sharing, changes in U.S. government policy, or other factors, remains unclear,” they wrote. “Given the potentially deadly consequences, these incidents require immediate investigation.”

The restrictions ran from Oct. 12 to Oct. 14. Ukrainian testing found Starshield connections were limited on equipment moving faster than about 63 mph; SpaceX reportedly acknowledged a restriction at 100 mph. The letter asks the inspector general to determine the cause and what is being done to ensure American personnel, including at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, receive reliable threat warnings.

A second deadline

A separate letter from six Democrats led by Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) asks Musk to answer five questions by Oct. 31. Inspectors general are not required to meet congressional deadlines, and the office typically announces new evaluations in its published project list. The Senate returns Nov. 9.

Who was contacted

The Inquisitor asked the Defense Department Office of Inspector General, the Pentagon, SpaceX, Sen. Tillis’s office and Ranking Member Shaheen’s committee press office for comment, and will update this story with any response.

Photo: Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. U.S. Senate, via Wikimedia Commons.