A defence official has stated that the MoD is currently investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from discussing secret information in all cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
This announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider defence situation highlights the importance of strong protocols and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, including transport use to communication habits.
