A defense official has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about classified information in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any car, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This wider defence environment highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of government operations, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
