The Dutch defence ministry is continuing to use Starlink, the satellite communication network owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, but experts have warned that this could put the Netherlands in a vulnerable position.

“At the moment, there is no reason to stop using SpaceX products,” a ministry spokesman told BNR radio. “We have multiple options and are not dependent on a single provider.”

The Dutch defence ministry needs to be “extremely cautious” in using Starlink, Patrick Bolder from The Hague’s Centre for Strategic Studies told BNR. He also referred Musk’s involvement in European politics.

“If you have the choice, you need to leave America,” tech expert Bert Hubert said. “Every form of dependence is an enormous danger.”

Last week Reuters reported that the US had threatened Ukraine with cutting it off from Starlink’s satellite internet services unless it agreed to president Donald Trump’s demands for access to mineral resources.

In addition, the Canadian province of Ontario has said it will sever ties with Starlink following Trump’s announcement of new import tariffs.

Meanwhile, digitalisation minister Zsolt Szabó has told Dutch News that officials are continuing to revise the government’s approach to cloud storage services, in the wake of an audit office report which warned about over-reliance on US cloud companies.

In total, auditors looked at the way government ministries use cloud storage to manage 1,588 services, of which 700 are based on open services offered by American companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Google.

“There is a risk that foreign governments, particularly the US, could access or even amend information from the Dutch government or private individuals,” audit office spokesman Ewout Irrgang said. “Whether they actually do is a different matter, but the option is there.”

Szabó declined to comment on the potential security implications of the US regime change but stressed that “security is paramount, and we must be sure we take the right decisions.”