An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been advised to avoid talking about classified information in all cars.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in Chinese cars.
He explained that the MoD is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to only have those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This announcement comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
The wider security situation underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, including vehicle use to discussions practices.
