A defense minister has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the possible security risks posed by Chinese vehicles, while staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about classified information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider defence situation underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of official activities, from vehicle usage to communication practices.
