A defense minister has revealed that the MoD is currently investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese cars, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret matters in all vehicles.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to talk about classified information while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister said that the MoD is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however emphasised that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
However whether you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD devices into their car, to avoid having conversations at a classified level in any kind of car, because of the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: That is exactly what we are looking into at the present time.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
This wider security situation highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every areas of official activities, from vehicle usage to discussions habits.
