An defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential threats associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been instructed to avoid discussing secret information in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a issue in all modern cars.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
But whether 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 vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, because of the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about security.
After it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause chaos to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The broader defence environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in every areas of official operations, from transport usage to discussions habits.
