Key Facts

• The article says modern militaries rely on satellite communications, cloud infrastructure, battlefield software and artificial intelligence.
• Unlike equipment that is delivered to a military, some digital services require companies to remain involved in their operation.
• The article reports that Ukraine relies on SpaceX’s Starlink service.
• Elon Musk acknowledged restricting Ukraine’s use of Starlink and argued that Kyiv had violated the service’s terms.
• The article says Ukraine had used Starlink for four and a half years without issue before the restriction it describes.
• Poland pays tens of millions of dollars annually for Starlink service used by Ukraine, according to the article.
• Sharon Weinberger, editor-in-chief of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, said traditional defense contractors have behavioral guardrails that differ from the role of technology firms running ongoing services.