A defence official has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that security is a concern in every contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Context
The revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The broader security situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of official activities, from transport usage to discussions practices.
