An defence minister has stated that the MoD is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing secret matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss secret material while riding in China-made cars.
The minister explained that the MoD is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Defence Context
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider defence situation underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of official operations, including transport usage to communication practices.
