An defense official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been advised to avoid discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in Chinese cars.
He explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The broader defence environment highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of government operations, from vehicle use to discussions habits.
