A defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is currently examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese cars, and staff have been told to refrain from talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that MoD officials have been told not to discuss classified information while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister said that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that security is a issue in every modern vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
However whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our staff is not to plug Ministry of Defence technology into their car, not to have discussions at a classified classification in any kind of vehicle, because of the increasing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible thing for everyone concerned 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 precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Broader Defence Background
This revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the existence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
This wider defence situation highlights the importance of strong measures and caution in every aspects of government operations, including transport usage to communication practices.
