An defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been advised to refrain from discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made cars.
He said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that security is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any car, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The broader defence situation highlights the significance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of government operations, from vehicle usage to discussions practices.
