An defense minister has stated that the MoD is actively looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been told to avoid talking about secret matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recent appearance on LBC, a defence minister commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made cars.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider security situation highlights the significance of strong protocols and caution in every areas of official operations, including vehicle usage to communication habits.
