A defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently looking into the possible threats associated with Chinese cars, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret information in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Personnel
In a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been instructed not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese cars.
He stated that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, however stressed that safety is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and those vehicles represent a tiny fraction.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in all automobile, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Background
The revelation comes as claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and cause disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” action by defence officials.
This wider defence environment highlights the importance of strong measures and vigilance in every aspects of official activities, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
