A defence official has stated that the MoD is actively examining the possible threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been advised to avoid talking about secret matters in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The wider security situation highlights the significance of robust protocols and caution in every areas of official activities, from vehicle use to communication practices.
