Starlink in the Age of Cyber Warfare (with Jason Blessing)

Since the start of the Russian invasion, Ukraine has relied on Starlink—the internet technology company created by Elon Musk—to keep its communication networks alive and defend itself against Russian attacks. Yet, as the dominant power in the satellite internet space, Musk is in a unique position to decide the extent of Starlink's role in the war. Out of an alleged fear of escalating tensions with Russia, Musk has since taken measures to limit the use of Starlink in Ukraine for offensive operations, effectively making the war effort much more challenging for the Ukrainian military. On this episode of The Eastern Front, Giselle, Dalibor, and Iulia speak with Jason Blessing, a Jeane Kirkpatrick Research Fellow at AEI focusing on cybersecurity, to discuss the role of cyberspace in both the Russia-Ukraine war and warfare at large. To what extent does Ukraine's reliance on Starlink reflect a new digital age of warfare? How can the US work with other Big Tech companies to reduce Musk's monopoly on satellite internet technology? In what other ways have private sector actors demonstrated their support for Ukraine?Show notes: Sign up for The Eastern Front's bi-weekly newsletter here and follow us on Twitter here.