A defence official has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in Chinese cars.
He said that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This broader security situation underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of government activities, including transport use to communication habits.
