Response from the Air Force Secretary to SpaceX's Security Concerns

On Tuesday, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall responded to concerns raised by Democratic senators regarding Elon Musk’s reported discussions with Russian leaders. Kendall assured the senators that the Pentagon is committed to security and that there is adequate competition in space programs to mitigate the risks associated with excessive reliance on Musk's SpaceX.

Kendall's response was conveyed in a letter to Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed, dated December 13. In the letter obtained by Bloomberg News, Kendall emphasized his agreement with the senators' security concerns but did not provide specific details regarding those concerns.

This correspondence followed previous letters from the senators spurred by an article published by The Wall Street Journal in October. The article claimed that Musk had met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and had maintained ongoing contact with other senior Russian officials since 2022.

The Secretary of the Air Force highlighted the competitive nature of satellite launch contracts managed by the Space Force and the Space Development Agency. These agencies are responsible for the expedited deployment of surveillance and communication satellites in low Earth orbit, a process that involves multiple suppliers to ensure diversity and resilience in the U.S. space program.

While Russia denied the claims regarding discussions between Musk and its officials, Musk himself dismissed the report with humor, using laughing emojis in a tweet to poke fun at the suggestion that he could be a Russian agent.