{"id":2034562,"date":"2023-09-16T13:21:02","date_gmt":"2023-09-16T17:21:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democratic-senators-request-details-about-us-starlink-contract-after-ukraine-incident\/"},"modified":"2023-09-16T13:23:16","modified_gmt":"2023-09-16T17:23:16","slug":"democratic-senators-request-details-about-us-starlink-contract-after-ukraine-incident","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democratic-senators-request-details-about-us-starlink-contract-after-ukraine-incident\/","title":{"rendered":"Democratic senators seek information on US-Starlink contract following Ukraine incident."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdemocratic-senators-request-details-about-us-starlink-contract-after-ukraine-incident%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2034562&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Senate Democrats Demand Answers on Elon Musk&#8217;s Starlink Service<\/h2>\n<p>Three Senate Democrats have\u200b taken action to uncover the \u200ctruth behind Elon Musk&#8217;s\u200b controversial decision to\u200b deny access to his Starlink service during a Ukrainian attack on Russia&#8217;s naval fleet. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, Elizabeth Warren, and Tammy Duckworth have sent a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, urging him to provide details on the Defense Department&#8217;s actions to prevent further interference by Musk.<\/p>\n<p>The senators express deep concern over the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/north-carolina-lawmakers-unanimously-move-to-stop-chinese-entities-from-buying-up-farmland\/\" title=\"North Carolina Lawmakers Unanimously Move To Stop Chinese Entities From Buying Up Farmland\">potential national security risks posed<\/a> by SpaceX, which\u2062 is a\u2063 major contractor for the Department of \u200dDefense and has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democratic-senators-request-details-about-us-starlink-contract-after-ukraine-incident\/\" title=\"Democratic senators seek information on US-Starlink contract following Ukraine incident.\">received substantial taxpayer funding<\/a>. They question the ability and willingness\u2062 of SpaceX \u2063to interrupt their services at\u200c Musk&#8217;s discretion, effectively undermining the self-defense\u200b capabilities of sovereign nations and serving Russian interests.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to seeking answers about other incidents where services have been unilaterally disabled or restricted by commercial providers for\u2063 non-technical reasons, the senators inquire about \u2064the Department of Defense&#8217;s measures\u2064 to prevent such disruptions. They also ask \u200dif\u200d there is a strategy in\u200c place to\u2062 develop redundant\u2064 capabilities.<\/p>\n<p>Recognizing the urgency of the matter, the\u200c senators \u200crequest a response by October 31, emphasizing the serious implications for U.S. national security \u200cif these questions remain unanswered.<\/p>\n<h3>Elon Musk&#8217;s Controversial Decision<\/h3>\n<p>In a recent biography by Walter Isaacson, it is revealed that Elon Musk \u200cdeactivated Starlink near Crimea\u200c in September 2022. This action came after Musk had a \u2064conversation with a Russian official who warned of the potential for nuclear war if an attack on the disputed territory occurred. Starlink, operated by SpaceX, provides\u2063 internet service to over 60 countries \u200dand has notably been utilized\u200b by Ukraine in their conflict with Russia.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How has \u200dthe Department of Defense\u2064 addressed incidents in which commercial providers have unilaterally \u200bdisabled or restricted services for non-technical reasons, and what\u2063 measures have been implemented to prevent\u2064 such disruptions?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  The\u2063 decision to deny\u2063 access \u2064to\u2064 the Starlink service during the Ukrainian attack on Russia&#8217;s naval fleet sparked controversy and raised\u200d concerns regarding national security. Three Senate Democrats, namely Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, Elizabeth Warren, and Tammy Duckworth, have taken \u2062action to \u2064seek\u200d answers and shed\u2063 light \u2064on the\u2064 matter.<\/p>\n<p>In a letter addressed to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the senators express their deep concern regarding the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/we-will-not-comply-gun-owners-publicly-defy-new-mexico-governors-firearms-ban\/\" title=\"Gun owners openly defy New Mexico governor's firearms ban: 'We won't comply'.\">potential risks \u200bposed<\/a> by SpaceX, \u2063a major contractor \u200bfor the Department of Defense\u2064 and a recipient of substantial taxpayer funding. They question SpaceX&#8217;s ability and\u2064 willingness to \u2062interrupt their services at\u200b Elon Musk&#8217;s discretion, effectively undermining the self-defense capabilities of sovereign nations and potentially serving Russian interests.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the senators inquire about\u200b incidents in which commercial providers have unilaterally disabled or restricted\u2063 services \u2064for non-technical\u200c reasons. They seek clarification \u200bon the Department of Defense&#8217;s measures to prevent\u2064 or address such disruptions. Additionally, they inquire \u2064about the existence of a \u200bstrategy to develop\u2062 redundant capabilities that would ensure uninterrupted service \u200din critical circumstances.<\/p>\n<p>Recognizing the urgency of the matter, the senators request a \u200bresponse from Defense Secretary Austin by October 31. They emphasize that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/top-oversight-republican-says-theyll-investigate-biden-oil-sale-to-hunter-linked-chinese-firm-after-retaking-house\/\" title=\"Top Oversight Republican Says They'll Investigate Biden Oil Sale to Hunter-Linked Chinese Firm After Retaking House\">unanswered questions surrounding<\/a> these issues \u200bhave serious implications for U.S. national\u2062 security.<\/p>\n<p>The controversy surrounding Elon Musk&#8217;s decision to deactivate Starlink near \u200bCrimea in September 2022 is an essential aspect of the Senators&#8217; concern. According to \u2064a recent biography \u200cby Walter Isaacson, Musk&#8217;s action followed\u200d a conversation\u2063 with a Russian official\u2063 who warned of the potential \u200bfor nuclear war if an attack on\u2064 the disputed\u200b territory occurred. Starlink, a service operated by SpaceX, plays a crucial \u200drole in \u2062providing internet connectivity to over 60 countries and\u200d has been notably utilized by Ukraine in \u200bits conflict with \u2063Russia.<\/p>\n<p>The senators&#8217; demand\u2062 for answers and \u200btransparency \u2063regarding the actions of Elon Musk and the Defense\u200c Department\u2063 is essential in ensuring the preservation of national security interests. By\u2063 seeking clarity on these matters, they demonstrate their commitment\u200b to upholding the integrity \u200cand effectiveness \u2064of the Department of Defense&#8217;s operations and \u200cpartnerships.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Three Senate Democrats, including Sens. Shaheen, Warren, and Duckworth, have written to Defense Secretary Austin, asking for details regarding the government&#8217;s contract with Elon Musk&#8217;s Starlink service. This comes after reports of the service being denied for a Ukrainian attack on Russia&#8217;s naval fleet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2034563,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2034562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2034562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2034562"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2034562\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2034563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2034562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2034562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2034562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}