A defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been instructed to avoid discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
He said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider defence environment highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in all areas of government activities, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
