A defense official has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential threats posed by Chinese vehicles, and personnel have been advised to avoid discussing classified matters in any cars.
Safety Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to talk about classified information while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
The minister said that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing threats of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in secure locations. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
This revelation comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been shining lasers at RAF pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader defence environment underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of official activities, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
