An defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, while staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that safety is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider security environment highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of official operations, including vehicle use to communication habits.
