Lawmakers press Defense Department IG for answers in Ukraine loss of military-grade Starlink system

A bipartisan group of senators is demanding information from the Trump administration about whether Pentagon officials ordered restrictions on Ukraine's access to a military-grade Starlink system, called Starshield, which the country uses to intercept Russian drones. 

The Starshield system provides data speeds that are fast enough to work alongside fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, The Hill reported. 

Full access to the system was restored on Wednesday, which generated speculation that President Donald Trump didn't request the disruption. If Trump didn't request the restrictions, it would mean the decision came from Pentagon officials. 

Four Republican senators joined four Democratic senators in a letter to Platte Moring, the Pentagon’s inspector general, requesting that he investigate whether any War Department or other U.S. government officials “directed” or “authorized” changes to intelligence-sharing arrangements or Starlink and Starshield services affecting Ukraine.

Ukrainian military officials alleged on Wednesday that SpaceX interrupted military-grade Starlink terminals. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said that decisions to restrict the Starshield service rests with the U.S. government and President Donald Trump. 

"Starlink is a commercial service owned and controlled by SpaceX. Usage of Starlink is limited to civilian or defensive activities and cannot be used for offensive military action, as doing so would be inappropriate for a commercial company," Musk wrote.