The watchdog told lawmakers it was a contractual matter.

October 29, 2026, 10:37 AM

The Pentagon's inspector general has declined to investigate disruptions of Starlink and Starshield in Ukraine, writing in a letter to lawmakers who had requested a probe that his office is not best suited to deliver answers.

Platte Moring, who leads the independent watchdog office at the Pentagon, told lawmakers that reported disruptions to Starlink and Starshield in recent weeks was a contractual matter that would be best addressed to the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force, according to a document seen by ABC News.

An artilleryman of the Special Rifle Police Battalion of Zaporizhzhia region sets up Starlink satellite internet system, at a position, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the frontline in Donetsk region, Ukraine, October 16, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

Stringer/Reuters

Both of those military services have jurisdiction over the U.S.…