An defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret information in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider security situation underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of government operations, including transport use to discussions habits.
