A defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been told to avoid talking about classified matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been told not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
This revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This broader security environment underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of official operations, from vehicle usage to discussions practices.
