A defence minister has stated that the MoD is actively investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been instructed to avoid talking about secret matters in any cars.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having discussions at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in every single vehicle, to restrict those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
This revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The wider defence environment highlights the significance of robust protocols and vigilance in every areas of government operations, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
