WASHINGTON, D.C.: A Starlink outage that disrupted U.S. Navy drone tests off the California coast has highlighted growing concerns within the Pentagon over its increasing reliance on SpaceX for critical military operations.

During an August test of unmanned vessels, a global outage affecting Elon Musk's satellite network left around two dozen autonomous surface vessels without connectivity, forcing operations to halt for nearly an hour, according to internal Navy documents reviewed by Reuters and a person familiar with the matter.

The vessels, part of a program aimed at strengthening U.S. capabilities in a potential conflict with China, were unable to communicate after the outage cut off access to Starlink, exposing what officials described as a single point of failure.

The incident was one of several disruptions linked to Starlink that affected Navy testing of autonomous systems, underscoring risks tied to the military's dependence on commercial satellite networks.

Starlink has become central to a range of Pentagon initiatives, from drone operations to missile tracking, supported by a low-Earth orbit constellation of nearly 10,000 satellites. Its scale has made it a critical communications backbone for U.S. defense systems.

But the Navy's experience points to vulnerabilities. In April 2025, officials reported that tests involving unmanned boats and aerial drones showed the network struggled under the heavy data demands of operating multiple systems simultaneously.

"Starlink reliance exposed limitations under multiple-vehicle load," a Navy safety report said, also citing issues with radios from Silvus and a network system provided by Viasat.

Intermittent connectivity issues also disrupted earlier tests in the weeks leading up to the August outage, though the exact causes were unclear, according to Navy documents.

Despite these challenges, defense experts say the benefits of Starlink's widespread availability and relatively low cost continue to outweigh the risks.

"You accept those vulnerabilities because of the benefits you get from the ubiquity it provides," said Bryan Clark, an autonomous warfare expert at the Hudson Institute.

Still, the incidents have added to broader concerns about relying heavily on a single private company for national security infrastructure.

"If there were no Starlink, the U.S. government wouldn't have access to a global constellation of low-earth-orbit communications," said Clayton Swope, deputy director of the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Lawmakers have also raised concerns about concentration risk, warning that dependence on a company led by a single individual could create strategic vulnerabilities.

SpaceX's dominance extends beyond satellite communications. The company has secured a leading role in space launches and military-related technologies, including its Starshield network designed for national security applications.

Its position has strengthened further as competitors struggle to catch up. While Amazon has sought to expand in low-Earth-orbit communications, including a US$11.6 billion deal announced this week to acquire satellite maker Globalstar, SpaceX remains well ahead.

The Pentagon has defended its approach, with Chief Information Officer Kirsten Davies saying the department uses "multiple, robust, resilient systems for its broad network."

However, past incidents have fuelled unease. Reuters reported previously that Musk restricted Starlink access to Ukrainian forces during operations against Russia, while questions have also been raised about service availability for U.S. troops in Taiwan.

Neither the Pentagon nor SpaceX responded to requests for comment on the Navy test disruptions or related concerns.

As SpaceX prepares for a potential public offering that could value the company at around $2 trillion, its deepening ties with the U.S. military are likely to remain under scrutiny, particularly as the Pentagon balances innovation with the risks of overdependence on a single provider.