Ilon Musk faces new federal investigations in the US

Ilon Musk and his private aerospace company SpaceX are under federal investigations by three branches of the U.S. military for alleged violations of disclosure protocols. According to The New York Times, Musk and SpaceX have repeatedly ignored demands to report travel and meetings with foreign leaders.

The New York Times reports that Musk and SpaceX have repeatedly ignored demands to report travel and meetings with foreign leaders.

Three checks from the military departments

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1. Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Defense.
2. U.S. Air Force.

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3. Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security.

• The Air Force has reportedly denied Musk’s request for access to a high level of secrecy. This is due to concerns about possible security risks if he is allowed to work with certain classified information.

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Investigations against Musk and SpaceX

• Failure to comply with disclosure requirements:
  Musk allegedly failed to provide a full list of meetings with foreign leaders, and failed to disclose personal travel and habits that could affect his safety.
• Security clearance issues:
  Despite Musk’s access to classified information at SpaceX, he has failed to fulfill obligations related to disclosure of his personal life and drug use.
• Examples include his marijuana use episode on the The Joe Rogan Experience podcast and mentions of microdoses of ketamine on the X platform (formerly Twitter).

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• SpaceX Employees’ Reports:
  Company employees have expressed concern that Musk often shares meeting information in his public posts, which could create security risks.

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International concerns

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• In the past three years, nine countries, including states in Europe and the Middle East, have expressed concern about Musk’s participation in meetings with U.S. defense officials.
• Sources note that company employees were afraid to report wrongdoing for fear of losing their jobs.

Context and reaction

Musk already has access to classified information related to advanced U.S. military technology, but the alleged breaches raise doubts about his ability to follow established security protocols.

Musk has already had access to classified information related to advanced U.S. military technology, but the alleged breaches raise doubts about his ability to follow established security protocols.

The probes could affect SpaceX’s future projects with the U.S. Department of Defense, as well as Musk’s credibility as the person responsible for major technology initiatives, including Starlink satellite communications.