A defence minister has revealed that the MoD is actively looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing secret matters in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made cars.
He explained that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, however stressed that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider defence environment underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of official operations, including transport use to communication practices.
