An defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the possible threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been told not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This revelation follows claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider defence situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in every aspects of government operations, from vehicle use to communication habits.
