New Zealand has moved closer to buying services from a satellite network set up by tech trillionaire Elon Musk for secret communications.
RNZ revealed in June that the NZ Defence Force (NZDF) was running a six-month trial of Starshield, the first confirmed case of a government other than America’s trialling the two-year-old system that comprises hundreds if not thousands of satellites.
On Friday Defence told RNZ, “A Starshield trial has been completed and showed potential utility for the NZDF.”
Starshield ran into controversy last month when Ukraine’s access to it was reduced, jeopardising some combat and air defence missions, with critics warning this was the risk of relying on privately-owned systems in a war or crisis, as Time reported.
NZ Defence withheld details of the outcomes of its Starshield trial on the grounds releasing them might prejudice national security or defence or international relations.
“Any subsequent satellite communications acquisitions would follow normal capability management and acquisition processes,” it said in a three-line statement.
The trial was purchased through the US government’s Foreign Military Sales (FMS) system and required the defence minister here to sign an indemnity to shield the US from any damages claims, a routine requirement of the FMS.
