An defense official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively examining the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret information in all cars.
Security Advice for MoD Staff
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
He explained that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a concern in all modern cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is to avoid connecting MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
The wider defence situation underscores the significance of robust measures and caution in every areas of official activities, including vehicle use to communication habits.
