The Pentagon has signed a contract with Elon Musk’s company that will allow Ukraine to receive new secure Starlink terminals, including 2,500 existing terminals already operating in the country. According to the contract, the terminals will have access to a new encrypted signal, Starshield, which makes the system much more difficult to intercept or suppress.
A total of 3,000 Starlink terminals will be serviced under two contracts signed in August of this year. However, these agreements run until 2025.
The contracts were signed despite Starlink founder Elon Musk’s ambiguous stance on the Russia-Ukraine war, adding context to the Pentagon’s cooperation with Musk’s company. Significantly, the deals were struck before Donald Trump won the US presidential election.
The secure version of Starlink will provide Ukraine with a more reliable connection for communications and military operations in the face of the constant threat of cyberattacks and attempts to intercept the signal. Increasing the level of security will be an important step in ensuring the uninterrupted operation of satellite communications in wartime.
