A defence minister has stated that the MoD is currently examining the potential security risks associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been told to avoid discussing secret matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese cars.
He stated that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a concern in every modern cars.
We have a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any car, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, the minister replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been directing lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider security situation underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of official activities, including transport usage to communication practices.
