The request reportedly came in a phone call after Trump grew frustrated that speeds were still capped at about 100 mph, a limit that cut connectivity for drones and other aircraft moving faster than that.
The officials said service was working more normally the next day.
The Journal earlier reported that Musk ordered the slowdown, and that it followed Ukrainian strikes on Russian diesel hubs and rising fuel prices.
A senior Ukrainian commander told The New York Times the restrictions cost his unit more than $1 million and delayed missions by three days.
Responsibility remains disputed: Musk wrote on X that Starshield is owned and controlled by the US government, and that the military and ultimately the president set speed and usage limits.
Trump has denied giving the order or knowing who did, and Vice President JD Vance said the issue concerns US policy on Ukraine and Russia, not Musk.
Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican, said he doubts Musk acted without at least White House acquiescence, while Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat, said no billionaire with large government contracts should be able to shut down wartime communications.
Lawmakers from both parties have called for an investigation, and Sen. Richard Blumenthal has opened an inquiry, sending letters to Musk and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about how the technology was degraded for Ukraine without notice. The episode is speeding the search for alternatives, though few exist at scale: SpaceX operates more than 11,000 Starlink satellites in 174 countries, versus about 390 for Amazon's Leo and more than 600 for Eutelsat, and the EU's IRIS² network is not expected to launch until 2029. Satellite consultant Christian Freiherr von der Ropp said most planned systems are unlikely to match Starlink's capacity, coverage, resilience or cost. Zelenskyy said he met Norway's Kongsberg to discuss new satellite communication capabilities for Ukrainian forces, and Eutelsat's stock rose 23% on Oct. 14 as the reports emerged.