A defence minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been advised to refrain from talking about secret matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider defence environment highlights the significance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, from transport use to discussions practices.
