A defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the possible threats associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been told to avoid discussing secret matters in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made cars.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a concern in all contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a secret level in any car, because of the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and sensible thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider defence situation highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in all areas of government activities, from vehicle usage to discussions practices.
