An defense official has stated that the MoD is actively looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been advised to avoid discussing classified information in any cars.
Security Advice for Defence Staff
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in Chinese cars.
He said that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but noted that security is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The broader defence situation underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all aspects of government activities, including transport usage to discussions practices.
