An defense minister has stated that the MoD is actively looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been instructed to avoid talking about secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider security environment underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of official activities, from transport use to communication practices.
