An defence minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been advised to refrain from discussing classified matters in all vehicles.
Security Guidance for MoD Staff
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to talk about secret material while riding in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “looking into” cars from China within its fleets, but noted that security is a issue in every contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re driving 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 vehicle, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to cease using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: That is precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Context
The announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
The wider defence environment underscores the importance of robust protocols and vigilance in all areas of government activities, from transport usage to discussions habits.
