An defense minister has stated that the MoD is currently investigating the potential security risks associated with Chinese cars, while staff have been instructed to refrain from talking about secret information in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
In a recent appearance 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 explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, however stressed that safety is a issue in every modern vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to restrict those secret conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone concerned about security.
When it was put to him that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The announcement follows claims from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider defence situation underscores the significance of strong measures and caution in all aspects of official activities, including transport usage to communication practices.
