A defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential threats associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in any cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made cars.
He explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to cease using every cars from China, the minister responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation follows reports from Norway and Denmark 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 cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider defence environment highlights the significance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of government operations, including transport usage to communication habits.
