Pentagon officials are aiding SpaceX in its attempt to block Russia from using Starlink internet terminals on the front lines in Ukraine, a DoD official said. John Plumb, the outgoing assistant secretary for space policy, told Bloomberg that the U.S. has been “heavily involved in working with the government of Ukraine and SpaceX to counter Russian illicit use of Starlink terminals,” defending one of Ukraine’s most vital strategic advantages in the war. The Starlink terminals have been a crucial communication asset since they were deployed in 2022, but reports of Russia’s unauthorized use of the terminals prompted a flurry of high-profile American politicians to call for the DoD to intervene. In a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) urged the DoD to act against the “serious national security threat” posed by illicit Russian seizures of the satellite terminals. SpaceX owner Elon Musksaid in February that he hadn’t approved any Starlink terminal sales to Russia, but that hadn’t stopped Russian buyers from getting their hands on them.
