A defence minister has revealed that the MoD is currently looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese cars, while staff have been instructed to avoid discussing secret information in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in China-made cars.
He explained that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a concern in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But 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 MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of car, due to the growing threats of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, Pollard replied: ‘That’s exactly what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Security Context
The announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader defence environment highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of official operations, including vehicle usage to communication practices.
