A defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the potential threats associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been instructed to avoid talking about classified information in any cars.
Safety Advice for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that security is a concern in all modern cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This broader security situation highlights the significance of robust measures and caution in every aspects of official activities, from transport use to discussions practices.
