A defence official has revealed that the MoD is currently examining the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
This announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider security situation underscores the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, from vehicle use to communication practices.
