A defense official has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been told to refrain from discussing classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however emphasised that security is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider security situation underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of government activities, from transport usage to discussions habits.
