An defense official has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been instructed to avoid discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made cars.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however noted that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider security environment highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of official activities, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
