An defense minister has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been advised to avoid talking about secret information in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about classified information while riding in Chinese vehicles.
He stated that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles account for a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret classification in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
This wider defence environment underscores the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
