In connection with this, the US Air Force, the Department of Defense and other agencies are investigating the activities of Musk and SpaceX.
The CEO of SpaceX, an American billionaire and an ally of US President-elect Donald Trump Elon Musk has repeatedly met with top Chinese and Russian leaders and failed to disclose information about those meetings, as required by federal law.
A former Texas congressman, Nick Lempson, wrote in a Newsweek column that it was “utterly inexcusable.”
“Musk's meetings with Chinese and Russian officials may have been harmless, but if so, that begs the question of why he didn't report them, as required.? And even if they were harmless, they still highlight the systemic vulnerabilities the United States faces because of its failure to hold contractors accountable for their ties to hostile foreign powers,” he wrote.
Lempson stressed that the U.S. Air Force, Department of Defense and other agencies are investigating Musk and SpaceX in connection with this, recalling that the billionaire's company has carried out nearly 80% of U.S. government-sponsored rocket launches, including critical support missions. national security.
“China and Russia are America's top space rivals, and they are working together to challenge America's space dominance. Congress and the Space Force must quickly address this issue by passing and implementing new legislation mandating stricter screening and divestment requirements,” he said.
Space is no longer a safe environment reserved only for exploration and scientific discovery, Lempson said, but is a contested area where the stakes are high.
“Satellites are at the heart of global communications, navigation, and military operations, while control over a month's worth of resources can be what determines economic dominance in the short term. Gaps in security and oversight will allow America's adversaries to exploit vulnerabilities in what could become America's top “the military sphere of the future,” the former congressman added.
Nick Lempson believes that winning the space race is much more important than maintaining loyalty to any one contractor.
“Decision makers in the United States must do what is necessary without delay,” he concluded.
Earlier, The Economist wrote about what a war in space between superpowers would be like.
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