An defence minister has stated that the MoD is actively examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, and staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a concern in all contemporary cars.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
The announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The broader defence situation underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of official operations, from transport use to communication habits.
