An defense minister has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to avoid discussing classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to talk about classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
He stated that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider defence situation highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in all areas of official activities, from transport usage to discussions practices.
