An defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been told to refrain from discussing secret information in all cars.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made cars.
He said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
The broader security environment highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of official activities, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
