An defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been told to refrain from discussing classified information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This broader defence situation highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, from vehicle usage to communication habits.
