A defence minister has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese cars, while staff have been instructed to avoid discussing classified matters in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recent interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however noted that safety is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However whether you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone worried about safety.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Background
This announcement follows reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to switch off public transport and bring chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider security situation underscores the importance of strong measures and caution in every areas of official activities, including vehicle usage to discussions habits.
