An defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese cars.
He said that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that security is a concern in all modern cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider defence environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of government activities, from vehicle usage to communication habits.
