An defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The wider security environment underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in all areas of government activities, including transport use to communication practices.
