A defense minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, and staff have been instructed to refrain from discussing classified information in any vehicles.
Security Advice for Defence Personnel
During a recently aired appearance on a radio station, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD officials have been instructed not to discuss classified material while travelling in Chinese vehicles.
He explained that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its fleets, but emphasised that safety is a issue in all contemporary vehicles.
Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
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 car, not to have conversations at a classified classification in any car, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that exist in every single vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in secure locations. This is a wise and sensible 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 exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Security Background
The revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could enable China to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly shining lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This wider security environment underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every aspects of government operations, from vehicle use to discussions practices.
