An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been advised to avoid talking about secret information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that safety is a issue in all modern cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The broader defence environment highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of government activities, from vehicle usage to discussions habits.
