A defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese cars, while personnel have been told to refrain from discussing classified information in all cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a concern in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every cars from China, Pollard replied: That is precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This broader security environment highlights the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in every aspects of official operations, including vehicle use to communication habits.
