Government Official Confirms MoD Examining Security Risk from Chinese Cars, with Personnel Told to Avoid Secret Talk in Cars.
An defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, and staff have been advised to avoid discussing classified information in any cars.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about classified information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister explained that the MoD is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
This revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The broader security situation underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, including vehicle use to communication practices.
