A defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, and staff have been advised to avoid talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if 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 secret classification in any vehicle, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The broader defence situation highlights the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in all areas of official operations, including transport usage to communication habits.
