Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX and Tesla, has asked the Defense Department to take over funding for his satellite network, which has supplied essential battlefield communications for Ukrainian military troops throughout the conflict with Russia, according to a U.S. official.
The person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter that has not yet been made public, stated that the issue has been raised in meetings and that senior leaders are evaluating it. There were no decisions made.
More than 150,000 Ukrainian ground stations have access to high-speed internet via Musk’s Starlink system of over 2,200 satellites in low orbit. Musk tweeted early on Friday that SpaceX was spending $20 million a month to support Ukraine’s communications requirements.
In addition to terminals, the corporation must construct, launch, manage, and refill satellites and ground stations, according to his tweet.
CNN was the first news source to report Musk’s proposal.
Following a Twitter battle between Musk and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the world’s richest man has asked the Pentagon to assume responsibility for the hundreds of millions of dollars he claims the system is costing. And overnight, Musk tweeted about the friction, implying that it may influence his decision to stop the company’s sponsorship of the systems.
Musk claimed in a Twitter exchange this week that Russia should be permitted to keep the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized in 2014, in order to achieve peace. He added that Ukraine should embrace a neutral position and abandon its NATO membership bid.
Musk also initiated a Twitter poll asking if “the will of the people” should determine whether captured regions stay a part of Ukraine or join Russia.
Ukraine’s leader fires back
Zelenskyy responded sarcastically by posting a Twitter poll asking, “Which Elon Musk do you prefer?” “A supporter of Ukraine” or “a supporter of Russia.” Musk said to Zelenskyy, “I continue to strongly support Ukraine, but I am convinced that a big escalation of the war will bring significant damage to Ukraine and maybe the entire globe.”
The departing Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andrij Melnyk, reacted to Musk’s initial tweet with an obscenity.
Musk’s plea for the Pentagon to begin footing the bill comes as the Space Force and the Pentagon examine the role of commercial suppliers in national security.
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In March, the commander of U.S. Space Command, Army General James Dickinson, stated that having multiple vendors providing needed capabilities, such as Maxar’s satellite imagery of stalled Russian convoys, has become essential because it allows limited military satellite assets to be allocated to other tasks.
Musk also posed a subject that various suppliers and the Pentagon are mulling through as the importance of space to military operations increases. If a business vendor aiding the United States is attacked, is the United States obligated to provide protection?
“We’ve also had to fight against increasingly difficult cyberattacks and jamming,” Musk tweeted.