An defence official has revealed that the MoD is actively investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, while staff have been instructed to avoid talking about classified information in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made cars.
He explained that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider security environment underscores the significance of strong protocols and vigilance in every areas of official operations, from transport use to communication habits.
