Britain Transitions Military Operations to SpaceX's Starshield Satellite Network
By Cassell Bryan-Low
Britain's Adoption of Starshield for Military Communications
LONDON, June 2 (Reuters) - Britain has begun using SpaceX's militarised satellite network Starshield, according to two people familiar with the matter, making it among the first countries outside the United States to adopt Elon Musk's government-focused variant of Starlink.
Starshield vs. Starlink: Key Differences and Security Features
Starshield, developed for the U.S. government, is designed for military and intelligence missions with enhanced security features, while SpaceX's standard Starlink broadband service is aimed at consumer and commercial use.
Transition Timeline and Ministry Statements
Britain's defence ministry started transitioning operational military traffic to the more expensive Starshield service around the beginning of this year, the people said.
In a statement to Reuters, the ministry did not comment on Starshield. It said personnel still use Starlink for non-operational purposes, such as keeping in touch with family during deployment, and that it "is not used for military operations". It added the ministry uses a range of suppliers for its armed forces.
SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment.
SpaceX's Position on Starlink and Starshield Usage
Musk has sought to draw a clearer line between Starshield and Starlink, SpaceX's vast low-Earth-orbit broadband network and main source of revenue. SpaceX, which is due to go public at a valuation topping $1.5 trillion on June 12, has said Starlink should not be used for weapons systems.
Last month, Reuters reported that SpaceX had raised the price charged to the Pentagon for Starlink services used to guide kamikaze drones in operations against Iran fivefold. Musk said the increase reflected the use of Starlink rather than Starshield, which he said should have been used.
Global Military Adoption of Starlink and Starshield
Ukraine's and Other Nations' Use of Starlink
MILITARIES TURN TO STARLINK
Militaries have increasingly turned to Starlink since Ukraine's widespread use of the network after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, including for communications and drone control. In 2023, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said the company had curbed Ukraine's military use of Starlink for offensive purposes. SpaceX has also sought to stop what it said was unauthorised use of Starlink by Russian troops in Ukraine.
Ukraine's defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment on whether it uses Starshield.
British Military's Starlink Deployment
The British military began using Starlink in July 2022 and had about 1,000 terminals as of spring last year, the UK government said in a May 2025 response to a Reuters freedom of information request.
Cost and Distribution of Starshield
It is unclear how widely Britain's military uses Starshield or how much it pays. One person said the cost is only slightly higher than Starlink and that the ministry uses third-party distributors rather than contracting directly with SpaceX.
The other person, an industry specialist with close ties to the ministry, said it had been told to move operational traffic to Starshield, without specifying by whom.
Other Countries' Military Use of Starlink
Other defence ministries have also adopted Starlink, military personnel have told Reuters, mainly for non-weapons uses such as internet access and video calls in remote areas.
In Poland, a major funder of Ukraine's Starlink access, the army has used Starlink alongside other military and commercial satellite-communications systems, the defence ministry told Reuters last year, declining further detail.
The Dutch defence ministry, in response to Reuters questions this week, said it has a limited number of Starlink terminals, with most requirements met by other systems. It declined to say whether they are used for operations.
Reporting and Contributors
(Reporting by Cassell Bryan-Low in London. Additional reporting by Max Hunder in Kyiv and Barbara Erling in Warsaw. Editing by Joe Brock and Mark Potter)
