A defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about secret information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
He explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider defence situation highlights the importance of robust protocols and caution in all aspects of government operations, from vehicle usage to communication habits.
