An defence minister has stated that the Ministry of Defence is actively looking into the potential security risks associated with Chinese-made vehicles, and personnel have been told to refrain from talking about secret matters in any cars.
Security Advice for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on a radio station, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while travelling in Chinese cars.
The minister explained that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a issue in all contemporary cars.
Our department has a fleet of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the growing risks of eavesdropping that are present in all automobile, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using every Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the present time.”
Wider Defence Context
This announcement comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese-made electric buses, which could enable China to switch off buses and bring disruption to transport systems.
Additionally, a Russia spy ship has been directing laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” act by government representatives.
The wider defence environment underscores the significance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of government activities, from transport usage to discussions practices.
