Ret. Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman joined those criticizing billionaire and public scourge Elon Musk amid concerns about the longevity of Starlink satellite-based internet service in Ukraine, the technology for which has been provided by a Musk-led company, SpaceX. Ukrainian troops have used Starlink for vital communications amid catastrophic impacts to infrastructure from ongoing hostilities from Russia.
“let’s cancel @elonmusk,” Vindman remarked on Twitter Friday. “If [you’re] going to undermine US security you will pay. He likely has a board of directors he’s accountable to. Time to send a message!! @LucidMotors makes pretty sweet electric cars. I hear these are MUCH better then @Tesla. Ohh and a bunch of other American car companies make fantastic electric cars. @GM @Ford @Chrysler @chevrolet.”
Musk has publicly spoken about the status of Starlink in Ukraine — which CNN revealed SpaceX asked the Defense Department to begin financially covering, although numerous costs associated with implementing the internet service were already paid by government authorities in the U.S. and elsewhere. SpaceX’s request covers usage by Ukraine’s government and military. “In addition to terminals, we have to create, launch, maintain & replenish satellites & ground stations & pay telcos for access to Internet via gateways,” Musk claimed this week. “We’ve also had to defend against cyberattacks & jamming, which are getting harder. Burn is approaching ~$20M/month.” Musk’s sudden backtrack on Starlink service in Ukraine, which relies on thousands of user terminals that have been deployed across the country, many of which are destroyed in fighting, comes in close conjunction to a turn in his public rhetoric towards what amounts to support for Putin’s agenda.
He proposed a so-called peace plan including letting Russia keep Crimea and redoing referendums in partially occupied regions Russia recently claimed it annexed. There’s no indication the obviously predetermined outcomes of these referendums, showing supposedly overwhelming support for politically joining Russia, reasonably reflect the actual sentiments of local residents. Armed men were involved with collecting votes; the referendums were shams. As for Starlink, SpaceX apparently wants the U.S. Defense Department covering costs totaling the better part of half a billion dollars over the next year. Besides the hardware, there are also continuing costs — cited by SpaceX at thousands of dollars per user terminal — of providing the internet service allowing battlefield communications. Based on the CNN report, a precise or potential end date for SpaceX’s funding for Starlink in Ukraine isn’t clear. General Valerii Zaluzhniy of the Ukrainian military asked SpaceX for thousands more terminals, but the company pointed him to the Defense Department.
💡 let’s cancel @elonmusk . If your going to undermine US security you will pay. He likely has a board of directors he’s accountable to. Time to send a message!! pic.twitter.com/G2Xmrq0oIO
— Alexander S. Vindman (@AVindman) October 14, 2022
Ohh and a bunch of other American car companies make fantastic electric cars. @GM @Ford @Chrysler @chevrolet
— Alexander S. Vindman (@AVindman) October 14, 2022
