Paul Krugman says control of Starlink must be taken away from Elon Musk

A Nobel Prize-winning economist named Paul Krugman is asking that Elon Musk no longer have control over Starlink. He says that one person from the sector should not be in a position to make choices that could affect a country’s national security. He feels that the satellite internet network has become a military tool. Because of that he thinks that who controls it should be a choice made by the government and not by a company.

Krugman's criticism comes after a Wall Street Journal report that said Musk might have played a role in disrupting Starlink services in Ukraine during the war with Russia. Musk admitted to limiting access. He said Ukraines military was using the service to launch offensive drone attacks. That according to Musk broke the terms of service. Ukraine says it only used the network for defensive purposes. It also says the service disruptions hurt its operations.

In a Substack post called "It’s Time to Take Starlink from Elon Musk " Krugman asked why one business person should have so much power over military choices. "No single person, from the sector should or even be able to decide on national security matters " he wrote.

Why Krugman wants Musk to lose control of Starlink

Krugman's main concern is that Starlink's importance to modern warfare has grown beyond that of an ordinary commercial internet service. He believes governments should have the final say over access to technology that directly affects military operations.

To support his argument, he compared Starlink with Lockheed Martin, the defence company that manufactures F-16 fighter jets used by Taiwan. He asked readers to imagine the company suddenly stopping the supply of spare parts, upgrades and technical support, perhaps as part of a business arrangement with China. Such a move would likely prompt immediate government intervention.

He believes Starlink deserves similar treatment because of its strategic importance. Krugman concluded: “Control of Starlink must, one way or another, be taken away from Elon Musk.” He added that it is a matter of “national security: we cannot let private individuals make foreign and defense policy, and it would be totally irresponsible to leave a crucial military asset in the hands of a racist, authoritarian conspiracy theorist”

What Musk says about Starlink's use in Ukraine

Musk has defended SpaceX's position, maintaining that Starlink is a civilian commercial service and was never intended to support offensive drone attacks.

In an October 25 post on X, he said, “Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be.”

He also clarified the difference between Starlink and Starshield, SpaceX's separate satellite service for military customers. According to Musk, Starshield is controlled by the US government, which decides how it is used.

However, Musk has also acknowledged Ukraine's dependence on Starlink, warning that “the Ukrainian front line would collapse immediately” if the service were switched off. He described the comment as a statement of fact rather than a threat.

How Starlink became important in the Russia-Ukraine war

Following Russia's invasion in 2022, attacks damaged Ukraine's communication infrastructure. Musk initially provided thousands of Starlink terminals to hospitals, government offices, power facilities and humanitarian organisations.

The Ukrainian military subsequently adopted the technology for battlefield communications and drone operations. Since Russian forces do not have access to Starlink, the network became an important advantage for Ukraine.

However, concerns about this dependence increased after a confidential October 11 memo reportedly warned Ukrainian military officers about the possibility of losing access. The Atlantic reported that disruptions began two days later, grounding drones and affecting military operations in some areas.

A senior US military officer summed up the network's importance by telling The Atlantic, “Without Starlink, the war would grind to a halt.”

For Krugman, these developments underline why Starlink's future cannot depend on the decisions of one businessman. He believes a technology with such significant military and national security implications must remain under appropriate government control.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kahekashan

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Kahekashan is a passionate technophile with a keen eye for cutting-edge gadgets, emerging technologies, and everything in the digital realm. Raised in a Defence family with strong values and a background in literature, she has consistently pursued excellence in every endeavour. Her last full-time assignment involved content writing with the Indian School of Business.

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