Trump administration officials said the company donated the internet service, saying the gift had been vetted by the lawyer overseeing ethics issues in the White House Counsel’s Office.

The installation of Starlink in the White House made it the latest government entity to explore or install the internet service.

Planning for a war with China has dominated Pentagon thinking for decades, well before a possible confrontation with Beijing became more conventional wisdom on Capitol Hill. The United States has built its Air Forces, Navy and Space Forces — and even more recently its Marines and Army forces — with a possible fight against China in mind.

Billionaire Elon Musk arrived at the Pentagon on Friday morning for expected meetings with senior U.S. military leaders as the close ally of President Donald Trump makes sweeping cuts to the U.S. government.

The value gap between Elon Musk's holdings in SpaceX and Tesla stands at $43 billion following the slide in the EV maker's stock this year.