A defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in all cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but noted that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones represent a very small number.
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 technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
This announcement comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider security situation underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of official activities, from transport use to discussions habits.
