2026-10-15 · ABC News (US)
🔮 Elon Musk, the chief executive of SpaceX, said on Wednesday that "Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government" and "any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately [President Trump.]"
The White House, Pentagon and SpaceX did not respond to ABC News' requests for comment.
'Only hurts Ukrainian forces,' analyst says
George Barros, an open-source analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, said "US decisions to throttle [Starshield] only harms Ukrainian forces on the defense in Ukraine," noting that Ukrainian forces have never been permitted to use the SpaceX networks for strikes deep into Russia.
"This decision will significantly degrade Ukraine's mid-range strike capability -- a key driver of Ukraine's recent battlefield momentum in 2026," he said in a post on X.
Intelligence sharing from military to military is America's primary contribution to Ukraine's war effort, analysts said, providing key early warnings for Russian strikes and targeting information.
Trump said Tuesday that intelligence sharing was continuing as usual. assertive