A defense minister has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese cars, and staff have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and reasonable thing for anyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, Pollard responded: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
This wider defence situation underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of government activities, from transport use to communication habits.
