Slaidiņš: Starlink confusion in Ukraine raises questions about US policy

Confusion over restrictions on the Starlink satellite communications system in Ukraine has raised the question of whether the US military and Ukraine's defence can depend on the decisions of one person and his company. Jānis Slaidiņš, a major in Latvia's National Armed Forces (NBS) and a staff officer of the National Guard (Zemessardze), spoke about it on the TV24 programme "Aktuālais par karadarbību Ukrainā" (Latest on the Fighting in Ukraine). Starlink is a satellite communications service associated with Elon Musk.

According to Slaidiņš, the key issue is not Musk's own conduct but US political responsibility. "I don't think this is about Elon Musk. The real question is what US policy toward Ukraine and Russia will be. Clarity must finally be established," he said.

Doubts about who made the decisions

Analysing publicly available information on how the restrictions were introduced and lifted, as well as the differing explanations given by US officials, the major expressed doubt that Musk made such decisions entirely on his own. He suggested the problem appeared to have been resolved not by Starlink itself but by a phone call from Donald Trump. In his words, nobody is taking responsibility for the situation.

Dependence on private companies

Slaidiņš described as especially worrying the possibility that the availability of a militarily significant system could be affected by the decisions of one company or one person. In his view, not only this specific case should be assessed, but also the extent to which US defence and Ukraine's military capabilities depend on private technology companies.

He asked how the Pentagon, the US defence department, can depend on one person and his company, and what that means for national security. Slaidiņš also asked whether, when Ukrainians strike a target again, someone could once more unilaterally restrict the system. In his view, this deserves some thought.