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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsUkrainian soldier says Elon Musk's Starlink satellites 'changed the war in Ukraine's favor'
Ukrainian soldier says Elon Musk's Starlink satellites 'changed the war in Ukraine's favor' as they're helping troops stay online amid Russian strikesA Ukrainian soldier said that Elon Musk's Starlink satellites "changed the war in Ukraine's favor" because they were helping troops stay online amid Russian strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure.
The soldier's comments were reported by the British freelance journalist David Patrikarakos, who was reporting from the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.
"I want to say one thing: Elon Musk's Starlink is what changed the war in Ukraine's favor," said Dima, who said he had been fighting alongside Ukrainian forces since March, according to Patrikarakos.
"Russia went out of its way to blow up all our comms. Now they can't. Starlink works under Katyusha fire, under artillery fire. It even works in Mariupol," Dima said, per Patrikarakos.
As of last month, more than 5,000 Starlink internet terminals have been active in the country, The Washington Post reported. Fedorov told The Post that Starlink has proved "very effective" for Ukraine amid the invasion.
The satellites have directly assisted Ukrainian forces in combat.
The Times of London reported last month that an elite Ukrainian drone unit is using Starlink to destroy dozens of Russian targets in the night time.
"If we use a drone with thermal vision at night, the drone must connect through Starlink to the artillery guy and create target acquisition," the leader of the unit told The Times.
https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-starlink-satellites-helping-ukraine-fight-soldier-2022-4?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sf-bi-ti&fbclid=IwAR1LkXkSGitgp5zmRxGh7m3v8ZGMEN0AGt2P70oD9bsBcOT4E6KPZ2Sc3qk
Lunabell
(6,105 posts)I'm happy he isn't a putin lover. Good for Musk, now he can feed kids.
rockfordfile
(8,704 posts)Actually by attacking President Biden and Canada's PM it still shows Musk is a putin supporter. Un-American and racist Musk has sided with "Russian" republicans. You can show all of the pictures of him with democrats, but it doesn't change anything.
Some people are desperate to make Musk out something he's not. It's almost like they have a investment with Musk or Twitter.
Lunabell
(6,105 posts)EX500rider
(10,849 posts)cstanleytech
(26,310 posts)it could be an issue of not foreseeing that the satellite system would be used to thwart Putin.
EX500rider
(10,849 posts)Russia knocks out Ukrainian comm's and you wonder if Starlink restoring it could be foreseen as helping?
I don't think Musk or his advisors are that stupid.
Russia already tried to hack the system and Starlink fought them off.
cstanleytech
(26,310 posts)as the Simpsons doing an episode that had Trump as President and then years later the horror actually happens.
EX500rider
(10,849 posts)Said nobody ever....well except you.
The Ukraine made a urgent appeal to Starlink that they needed help restoring comms which are vital in a modern war, nobody with a pulse would think they weren't helping Ukr against Mordor, I mean Russia by restoring their comms.
cstanleytech
(26,310 posts)as it seems to me like you are trying to start an argument.
EX500rider
(10,849 posts)Against Russia
cstanleytech
(26,310 posts)As for why don't they cut it off if it's true? Probably because the world is watching and would notice it.
Mind you the probability of that all is rather low but if that is what is happening you have to admit it would be rather amusing.
NotTodayPutin
(86 posts)Just asking.
cstanleytech
(26,310 posts)My personal opinion though regarding this is that I doubt Musk is Putin's pal or supports the invasion.
EX500rider
(10,849 posts)Since a lot of the terminals went directly to the Ukr military I am going to say yes, it was foreseen.
rockfordfile
(8,704 posts)Musk has pro-Russian type propaganda against President Biden and PM of Canada. Putin supporters are against the Disinformation Governance Board. Musk has whined about it with other un-American right-wing pos. Same pos that is owner of a racist car company that had to settle. Musk wants to be racist and not be held accountable.
I said before, people that are worshipping that un-American pos are no different than trumpers.
EX500rider
(10,849 posts)rockfordfile
(8,704 posts)LuckyCharms
(17,454 posts)maybe he is these things to some degree, or to no degree.
I don't know.
But the OP is discussing something created by Musk that has helped the Ukrainians.
What is your opinion on that?
Igirl
(80 posts)Than most countries
and you?
More too reduce carbon output than entire countries
But he is the bad guy cause Twitter.
I refuse to join the musk hate bandwagon because of these simple unproven arguments.
He has done so much to improve our outlook for tomorrow as an independent citizen.
NBachers
(17,133 posts)ColinC
(8,316 posts)And to the US government for paying SpaceX for the systems? Sounds fair
Response to ColinC (Reply #4)
Post removed
ColinC
(8,316 posts)that the government funded (both times), "whining"?
Elon Musk did not gift these to Ukraine. They were purchased by the US government. Musk deserves nearly 0 credit for this transfer.
USALiberal
(10,877 posts)ColinC
(8,316 posts)Response to ColinC (Reply #11)
USALiberal This message was self-deleted by its author.
ColinC
(8,316 posts)Their success comes despite Musk's horrible management, not because of it.
USALiberal
(10,877 posts)ColinC
(8,316 posts)The people I am talking about are former employees who stuck it through far longer than they felt they should.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)ColinC
(8,316 posts)Hoyt
(54,770 posts)living a dream
Would agree, for line workers, etc. Its tough. But I bet there is a line for those jobs too.
ColinC
(8,316 posts)Have you read any of the NLRB complaints? Have you looked at the turnover rates?
All of the above suggests to me the opposite, and betting otherwise is about as safe as betting on dogecoin right now.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)complaints. However, I do believe legitimate complaints MUST be addressed.
Cant cite it now, but there are sites that show companies favored by political affiliations. Even the highest rated by Democrats have lots of complaints, some of which are serious. Others are just people like me who complain a lot.
ColinC
(8,316 posts)I have spoken with many former employees personally -and although anecdotal, they confirm the overall narrative backed by overwhelmingly large nrlb complaints, lawsuits and huge turnover rates.
For instance, compare the turnover rate of SpaceX to a competitor like Boeing, Lockheed or Northrop and it is night and day. Compare the complaints by these contractors and it is night and day. The only reason I can see this being the case is because the company has a rampantly pervasive culture of toxicity that leads to it.
I imagine if they solved these issues than the brilliant people who work for them wouldn't leave for a competitor as the people I have spoken with have done.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)ColinC
(8,316 posts)Igirl
(80 posts)For Ukraine.
But Elon bad.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)ColinC
(8,316 posts)More people just seem to be catching on to that fact, I guess.
His companies have been great. He, as an individual, is not much better than nearly any other anti union billionaire who exploits and profits off of the hard work of his employees.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)ColinC
(8,316 posts)Hoyt
(54,770 posts)ColinC
(8,316 posts)Boeing is unionized, for instance, and has very low turnover.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)ColinC
(8,316 posts)Bombs are necessary for Ukraine right now. But that isn't the question, the question is whether it is a better company to work for. Based on complaints, unionization and turnover, it clearly is.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)ColinC
(8,316 posts)In war efforts than non defense companies.
ColinC
(8,316 posts)Than SpaceX.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)ColinC
(8,316 posts)General Atomics literally offered to donate Reaper drones to Ukraine -somerhing that could single handedly shift the war in their favor. To say Musk has done more than any other company does not sound accurate.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday thanked billionaire Elon Musk for supporting his country with the Starlink satellite Internet service, Belga News Agency reports.
"Talked to Elon Musk, President Zelensky tweeted after a conversation with the SpaceX CEO. Im grateful to him for supporting Ukraine with words and deeds. Next week we will receive another batch of Starlink systems for destroyed cities.
"President Zelensky also said they discussed possible space projects. But Ill talk about this after the war, he added."
https://www.brusselstimes.com/209633/ukraines-president-thanks-elon-musk-for-telecoms-support
ColinC
(8,316 posts)I'm sure there are plenty of quotes you can pull that aren't limited to a single system.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/wap.business-standard.com/article-amp/international/ukraine-president-zelenskyy-thankful-for-800-mn-in-military-aid-122041400102_1.html
EX500rider
(10,849 posts)Ukr needs secure comms most of all, modern warfare demands it to win, you need to get inside the enemies decision loop and beat them to the punch, all the weapons in the world won't help Ukr in they are not in the right spot at the right time.
Especially as they are out numbered, they need to shift their forces around to keep the Russians from breaking out and they need to strike the follow-on forces and logistical tail, all which require real time un-jammable comms.
ColinC
(8,316 posts)The weapons are first and foremost. To think one system is doing more than the multitude of weapon systems required to protect the country -again, seems inaccurate.
WarGamer
(12,463 posts)I think they're greedy blood thirsty vampires.
ColinC
(8,316 posts)The MIC exists, but Ukraine would have been run over by the Russians two months ago without the MIC. To deny this is to deny reality.
WarGamer
(12,463 posts)The US pays the bills.
Greed.
I Like the idea of the US sending weapons that WON'T be replaced in inventory.
ColinC
(8,316 posts)But again, not the case.
manicdem
(389 posts)All of Musks businesses have high ratings. He does work them hard but it must be worth it to the employees since people want to work there. I credit Musks management if the company cause theyre all pretty successful against the odds and hes a hands on manager.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)Circa 2010, as Tesla was developing its first mass-market car, the Model S sedan, engineers on the project would occasionally hitch rides from Los Angeles to Silicon Valley on Musks private jet. On one such trip, an engineer recalled asking Musk his opinion on the sedans suspension should it be sporty like a BMW, or more cushy like a Lexus?
Im going to sell a f*** load of cars, so whatever suspension you need so I can sell a f*** load of cars thats the suspension I want, Musk replied according to the engineer.
AllyCat
(16,211 posts)Musk is the insane tweet business guy and his people do the work. Taxpayers bought the comm system.
EX500rider
(10,849 posts)Wonder how many times I will have to post this:
On Tuesday, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced it has purchased more than 1,330 terminals from SpaceX to send to Ukraine, while the company donated nearly 3,670 terminals and the Internet service itself.
ColinC
(8,316 posts)And if you consider the amount of government aid Spacex was provided in developing and manufacturing these products, the idea that taxpayers largely footed the bill for the comm systems is more correct than not.
Sgent
(5,857 posts)the original shipment was sent before any aid was authorized by USAID.
ColinC
(8,316 posts)The government paid 3X the retail price for the system. If they paid the retail price it would have covered all of the units.
Sgent
(5,857 posts)the only thing you can buy at retail requires a 3 year contract for internet service at 1200/yr which UKR/ US is not signing.
Third parties who have examined the equipment estimated cost of V1 at about $2500 and Elon said he hoped to get V2 under $1000. The first shipment was V1 and the second shipment was a mix I believe.
ColinC
(8,316 posts)manicdem
(389 posts)The $499 cost (now $599) cost of the kit is the subsidized price in exchange for the service contract. Like how cellphone companies subsidized or gave away free phones in exchange for a service contract. The higher price the US paid is likely the kit cost without the contract. Or it could also be the higher priced, higher performance kit that was just released.
This was published last year:
"The current $499 Starlink dish, while expensive, is actually being sold at a significant loss for the company. Originally, the dish cost $3,000 to produce before SpaceX managed to reduce the amount to $1,500 and then $1,300, Shotwell said back in April. "
AllyCat
(16,211 posts)And for all his bluster, just looks at making money and getting press.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)ColinC
(8,316 posts)Compared to he average Joe, he has sacrificed little in supporting the fight in Ukraine. The average person pays about 30-40% in taxes which fund the weapons sent to Ukraine, from their net worth. We are lucky if he has even paid 1% of his net worth.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)stock for Twitter. Clearly he should pay more. He openly supports estate taxes, etc.
How many average Joes pay that in income taxes that they wont get back in Social Security, disability, Medicare, etc.?
ColinC
(8,316 posts)Must be nice
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)research, development, equipment, etc. As long as you don't sell the stock, you won't get taxed. If you are really sucessful, you'll have thousands of well paid employees paying taxes.
And if you want, you can pay what cash you generate in excess taxes.
The top 10% in this country pay over 70% of income taxes. They should clearly pay more, but every Democratic admin has realized that we'd be up chit creek financially if it weren't for the Musks, Gates, vaccine companies, etc.
I live in a semi-rural area, but thank gawd Amazon was there to keep me stocked up during pandemic. Most of the small stores closed or couldn't stay stocked up, not to mention their prices were higher.
I, like Musk, support a more robust estate taxes. Don't know about him, but increased capital gains rates seem proper, but only to point it's not impacting economy negatively. I think some kind of wealth tax is proper, but more like requiring wealthy to sell a certain portion of their holding each year, like with IRA/401Ks after age 72.
Do you work for a large company?
ColinC
(8,316 posts)Regardless of how successful they become. Crazy idea, I know...
ColinC
(8,316 posts)...I too might have had the luxury and capital to focus on inventions and risk new business ventures. Unfortunately, that isn't the case with most people.
EX500rider
(10,849 posts)Are you under the impression Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario in 1990 was exclusive or super expensive?
Or the University of Pennsylvania?
His road to being a billionaire started in 1995, Musk, his brother Kimbal, and Greg Kouri founded web software company Zip2 with funds from investors. Musk says that before the company became successful, he could not afford an apartment and instead rented an office and slept on the couch and showered at the YMCA, and shared one computer with his brother.
Compaq acquired Zip2 for $307 million in cash in February 1999, and Musk received $22 million for his 7-percent share.
He took that money and founded X.com & renamed it PayPal in 2001.
In 2002, PayPal was acquired by eBay for $1.5 billion in stock, of which Musk received $175.8 million.
Where does his dad fit in exactly?
ColinC
(8,316 posts)Last edited Tue May 3, 2022, 10:33 PM - Edit history (1)
As the son of a millionaire, is absolutely insane.
EX500rider
(10,849 posts)And it does not seem he used any of his dad's money, he moved to Canada when he was 17.
Musk arrived in Canada and lived with a second cousin in Saskatchewan for a year, working odd jobs at a farm and lumber-mill, don't see any silver spoon there.
EX500rider
(10,849 posts)ColinC
(8,316 posts)Because they never got to the point to put substantial money in non taxable things like stock.
Must be nice... Paying only 5% of your total wealth in taxes after paying nearly nothing for years.
EX500rider
(10,849 posts)ColinC
(8,316 posts)Paying 5% in taxes after paying nothing for so long again only shows how much the system advantages the super duper wealthy.
ColinC
(8,316 posts)If they paid the retail price, they would have likely covered more than the entire retail cost of the 5,000 units, especially if you include the 800k that the government covered for transportation.
PortTack
(32,787 posts)How say you?
Me..a big NO!!!
SergeStorms
(19,204 posts)the positive ink he's getting from this, along with generous tax deductions.
Musk doesn't do anything from the goodness of his heart. He has none.
EX500rider
(10,849 posts)Sounds like Starlink did pay for most of it.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/04/08/us-quietly-paying-millions-send-starlink-terminals-ukraine-contrary-spacexs-claims/
ColinC
(8,316 posts)SpaceX was paid for terminals regardless of how many. They denied they were paid which was a flat out lie. There is doubt in our minds these terminals would have been donated if the government did not pay for any as an incentive.
PortTack
(32,787 posts)Last edited Tue May 3, 2022, 03:04 AM - Edit history (1)
On Thursday, USAID spokesperson Rebecca Chalif said in a statement that the delivery of Starlink terminals were made possible by a range of stakeholders, whose combined contributions valued over $15 million and facilitated the procurement, international flights, ground transportation, and satellite Internet service of 5,000 Starlink terminals.
The agency declined to answer questions about how much USAID funding is going toward buying and transporting equipment for Ukraine, referring them to SpaceX. SpaceX did not return a request for comment on the arrangement and the specific financials of the deal.
EX500rider
(10,849 posts)It is also unclear whether the price the U.S. government is paying for individual Starlink units matches their typical market price.
USAID is paying $1,500 for each standard terminal and the accompanying service, documents show. According to the Starlink website, a standard terminal set costs $600
EX500rider
(10,849 posts)But the real costs is around the $1,500 mark.
PortTack
(32,787 posts)My point is as much that Musk is not some great philanthropic guy, or even a good citizen of the world for that matter
Read about what he did in Brazil over lithium mining. Or what he said to gov abbott after the passing of their anti abortion bill. Or what he recently said via twitter to Senator Sanders. Read about how his parents ruthlessly exploited South Africans while accumulating their fortune. Or now says that the Dems are the problem. Or that he said he would give 6 billion to end hunger
Yes, Elon Musk tweeted he would donate $6B to fight world hunger if UN met certain conditions
In 2021 Musk told the UN's World Food Programme that he would donate $6B to solve world hunger if they could share a plan on how theyd spend the money. They did...he didnt.
Theres always gonna be someone apologizing for this guy
why? He cares about his money and himself.
MerryBlooms
(11,770 posts)Many governments who paid millions for the satellites. I'm glad the technology was there to buy, but people claiming musk donated out of goodness, are mistaken.
You are spot-on!
Musk made millions, which is fine, but people shouldn't claim otherwise.
EX500rider
(10,849 posts)Sounds like Starlink did pay for most of it.
ColinC
(8,316 posts)Last edited Sun May 1, 2022, 01:44 AM - Edit history (1)
The government bought them at 3 times that price. They bought 1330 for 2 million dollars plus about 800k for transportation. They got a 500,000 dollar discount from the retail price if they bought all 5,000 units which they did not. Instead they overpaid about 900 bucks a unit for 1330. I hardly see that as "Starlink paying for the systems," and instead the government essentially paying for the entire shipment -again at a discount.
manicdem
(389 posts)The $499 cost (now $599) cost of the kit is the subsidized price in exchange for the service contract. Like how cellphone companies subsidized or gave away free phones in exchange for a service contract. The higher price the US paid is likely the kit cost without the contract. Or it could also be the higher priced, higher performance kit that was just released.
This was published last year:
"The current $499 Starlink dish, while expensive, is actually being sold at a significant loss for the company. Originally, the dish cost $3,000 to produce before SpaceX managed to reduce the amount to $1,500 and then $1,300, Shotwell said back in April. "
blm
(113,082 posts)Last edited Sat Apr 30, 2022, 10:37 PM - Edit history (1)
The vocal, QAnon wing of the GOP, anyway.
Why is Musk catering to the cravenness of these Putin puppets?
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/07/briefing/republican-party-putin-wing.html
https://www.newsweek.com/majority-republicans-polled-view-putin-very-strong-leader-1682076
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-voters-hold-more-favorable-view-putin-they-do-biden-poll-1683459
Trump Voters Hold a More Favorable View of Putin Than They Do Biden: Poll
EX500rider
(10,849 posts)The House vote for military lend-lease bill to speed Ukraine aid was passed 417-10
I don't think 10 votes counts as "most of the GOP"
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/House-passes-military-lend-lease-bill-to-speed-17134535.php
Pachamama
(16,887 posts)Yes - it was a good thing - but that doesnt mean he can be trusted to having good intentions.
USALiberal
(10,877 posts)Hoyt
(54,770 posts)realizing that Apollo and most missions were pretty much contractors.
Wonder if Biden will jettison under pressure?
localroger
(3,629 posts)NASA never built anything, and that was by design. They did the large-scale engineering, wrote specs, and put out bids to meet those specs. All the details and the manufacturing were left to the contractors.
ColinC
(8,316 posts)SpaceX likely misses that mark by a lot, unfortunately.
lpbk2713
(42,766 posts)They can't seem to do anything that has a successful long term effect.
bahboo
(16,351 posts)Hoyt
(54,770 posts)Crunchy Frog
(26,610 posts)nycbos
(6,035 posts)He's 50% decent 50% bond villain.
yaesu
(8,020 posts)wealthy individuals who were sought out by Musk & others involved. You don't become the richest person in the World by giving anything for free.
greenjar_01
(6,477 posts)These people need to get a life.
LAS14
(13,783 posts)orangecrush
(19,597 posts)Where credit is due.
amuse bouche
(3,657 posts)of wasting money on twitter.
He constantly whines about 'wokeness'
He and his obnoxious Ego, make me sick
EX500rider
(10,849 posts)Will help the Ukrainian military much more than some fighter planes. I doubt they have a unlimited amount of trained pilots ready to go
amuse bouche
(3,657 posts)Last edited Sat Apr 30, 2022, 11:22 PM - Edit history (1)
They have plenty of qualified pilots. The pilots themselves have said so He is a vile and obnoxious pig and liar
EX500rider
(10,849 posts)His father may have but Musk moved to Canada when he was 17 and in 1995 founded web software company Zip2 with funds from investors.
Compaq acquired Zip2 for $307 million in 1999, and Musk received $22 million for his 7-percent share.
He took that money and founded X.com & renamed it PayPal in 2001.
In 2002, PayPal was acquired by eBay for $1.5 billion in stock, of which Musk received $175.8 million.
How does apartheid fit into all that?
Wingus Dingus
(8,059 posts)DallasNE
(7,403 posts)As it tells Putin too much about military operations and may give them a gateway to counter the satellite technology. Boast after the war is over, not while it is ongoing.
EX500rider
(10,849 posts)Starlink fought them off.
A Pentagon official has detailed the speed at which Elon Musk's SpaceX Starlink fought off a Russian jamming attack in Ukraine.
On Wednesday, Dave Tremper, director of electronic warfare for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, told the C4ISRNET Conference that Starlink countered the attack faster than the US military would have been able to.
Starlink, the satellite-based internet division of SpaceX, has been helping Ukrainians stay online during Russia's invasion. SpaceX CEO Musk sent Starlink kits to Ukraine after Mykhailo Fedorov, the country's vice prime minister, requested help from the billionaire in late February.
Musk said on March 25 that Starlink had, at that point, "resisted all hacking and jamming attempts." Tremper's comments are thought to provide the first details of a Russian jamming attempt on Starlink's systems.
Tremper said that the day after reports of a Russian jamming attack emerged, "Starlink had slung a line of code and fixed it," and suddenly the attack "was not effective anymore." He said the countermeasure employed by Starlink was "fantastic," adding: "How they did that was eye-watering to me."
https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starlink-pentagon-russian-jamming-attack-elon-musk-dave-tremper-2022-4
Igel
(35,337 posts)I keep wondering why a reporter or writer is proud to have uncovered something and reported it--something operational, actionable, and significant.
With self-goals like that?
Now, maybe Ru intel has already figured these things out. But you know, unless you know what Ru intel knows you can't say if you're divulging not just what's unknown to Westerns but what's unknown to the GRU.
There's a reason Ukraine squelched a lot of cell-phone front-lines reporting by soldiers. Too easy to pin down--and shell--their positions.
Observation 1: People are stupid. (Yes, that includes me. But accepting this, like accepting addiction, allows for facing and trying to fix the horrible condition.)
ecstatic
(32,727 posts)Deep State Witch
(10,449 posts)For doing this. Slightly less evil.
IronLionZion
(45,494 posts)I'll give him credit where it's due
SoonerPride
(12,286 posts)Thank Biden not Musk.
EX500rider
(10,849 posts)On Tuesday, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced it has purchased more than 1,330 terminals from SpaceX to send to Ukraine, while the company donated nearly 3,670 terminals and the Internet service itself.
Sounds like Starlink did pay for most of it.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/04/08/us-quietly-paying-millions-send-starlink-terminals-ukraine-contrary-spacexs-claims/
Abolishinist
(1,304 posts)Wow.
dalton99a
(81,565 posts)"Elon Saves Ukraine" / "Elon Saves The World"?
48656c6c6f20
(7,638 posts)MBT, Helicopters, fighter jets, cruise missles up Pootins ass would be 100 times more effective as Starlink. Seems like Starlink assists in communication but doesn't kill Russians directly. Ukraine needs dead Russian to remove the invaders.
Using advanced satellites in a low orbit, Starlink enables video calls, online gaming, streaming, and other high data rate activities that historically have not been possible with satellite internet. Users can expect to see download speeds between 100 Mb/s and 200 Mb/s and latency as low as 20ms in most locations
EX500rider
(10,849 posts)Without communications you can't tell your forward troops what targets to hit..
Your uavs are useless without communications between them and the artillery units for on time targeting advice.
You also can't communicate with your brigades to move them to block Russian breakthroughs etc
EX500rider
(10,849 posts)Similar innovations were developed to provide Ukrainian military units with better communications than the Russian invaders. That edge has been maintained and it is expected that the Russians will continue trying to disrupt Starlink service.
48656c6c6f20
(7,638 posts)How successful they could be with real comms and not some Radio Shack stuff. We could give them that too.
EX500rider
(10,849 posts)Trying to remember when Radio Shack had 2,000+ un-jammable satellites in orbit able to deliver broadband internet to anywhere on the planet...what are these "real comms" you speak of?
US military land based radios are jammable, even the frequency hoping ones and are basically limited range line-of-sight and require repeater towers or or airborne repeaters to cover a country.
FreepFryer
(7,077 posts)BSdetect
(8,998 posts)andym
(5,445 posts)but is consistent with that of many Democrats as well as libertarians. Mike Dukakis was assailed by Bush senior for being a card-"carrying member of the ACLU". In that era there was a lot of controversy about the ACLU supporting American neo-Nazi's marching in Skokie, Ill.
The problem now is that unfettered free speech on the social network platforms allows and amplifies misinformation and disinformation. The courts in the USA have tended toward a very expansive view of free speech. There needs to be some mechanisms of spotting and tagging misinformation and disinformation with clear way of communicating that to the public. It is very unclear what will happen when we will have a powerful social network allowing bad actors and others seeking to manipulate Americans (and the world) amplify their message. Facebook is already part of the problem. The marketplace of idea approach to freedom of speech is definitely problematic, because the most popular ideas are not the same as the best ideas.