Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said Friday that it would pose an "enormous" risk to the United States if Elon Musk interfered with the speed of the Starshield communications system used by Ukraine's military, telling CNN's Kaitlan Collins that the consequences would extend well beyond the battlefield.
Her remarks on CNN came as several outlets reported that Musk, the founder of SpaceX, personally ordered restrictions on Ukraine's use of the satellite network. CBS News reported that a decision by Musk led to restrictions on Ukraine's use of SpaceX's satellite communications network, citing people familiar with the matter. According to CBS, the service — used for drone operations, targeting and protecting sites in Ukraine — was slowed significantly last week, and Musk held multiple conversations with administration officials before the order, seeking clarity on the president's thinking.
The Washington Examiner first reported Warren's warning. In her CNN appearance, Warren said the risk to the United States is "enormous" if Musk throttled Starshield, the military-grade satellite network SpaceX builds for the U.S. government and its partners.
What Starshield Does — And Why It Matters
Starshield runs on technology similar to the civilian Starlink constellation, but it is built for military use. Ukraine's armed forces rely on it to communicate across long distances and to maintain contact with drones used for strikes and reconnaissance. There is no working alternative: no competitor comes close to the low-earth-orbit constellation SpaceX has put in orbit, and Ukrainian officials and soldiers told CBS News their military began experiencing the disruption last week.
Musk has publicly denied that he is the one calling the shots. In a post on X last week, he wrote that the U.S. government controls who can access the technology and what level of service those users receive. "Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS," Musk wrote. He did not reply to a request for comment from CBS News.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters that no directive came from the Pentagon. "We haven't pulled anything back," Hegseth said. "There are terms of service that ultimately need to be complied to. And that's where Starlink has the option to make those decisions, but nothing's changed from our view. We haven't made any directives or anything like that." Hegseth added that "we wish the Ukrainians, obviously, success."
CBS News reported that the temporary restrictions came as a surprise to some officials inside the administration, who said neither President Trump nor the Pentagon specifically ordered limits meant to disrupt drone operations and battlefield communications.
Musk's Stated Frustration
According to CBS News, Musk has expressed distaste for his company being seen as profiting from the continued war between Russia and Ukraine. SpaceX licenses Starshield technology to the U.S. government — meaning the decision on service levels sits at the intersection of a private company's commercial interests and a wartime communications lifeline.
CNN Politics reported that the central question — who slowed a crucial satellite system and left Ukraine more vulnerable to Russian attacks in recent days — remains contested. The White House and the Pentagon did not respond to CBS News requests for comment on the reported order.
Our Take
Here's what the establishment doesn't want you to ask: why is a war in Eastern Europe dependent on the whim of one private citizen in the first place?
Warren and her colleagues spent years cheering on the blank-check funding of Ukraine while never bothering to build a single American-owned, government-controlled communications alternative. Now they're alarmed that the man whose satellites are doing the job might have opinions about how they're used. That's not a Musk problem. That's a Washington problem.
And notice the double standard. When the Biden administration slow-walked weapons and dictated what Ukraine could and couldn't strike, the legacy media called it prudent strategy. When a private businessman reportedly wants clarity on the commander-in-chief's policy before his hardware is used to kill people, suddenly it's a scandal.
Musk says the U.S. military and the president decide the limits. Hegseth says no directive was issued. If both are telling the truth, then Warren should be demanding answers from the Pentagon, not auditioning for a cable news segment. The American people deserve to know exactly who ordered what — and why a sovereign war effort is riding on a license agreement.
