An defence minister has stated that the MoD is currently examining the possible threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been instructed to refrain from discussing secret matters in any vehicles.
Security Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret information while travelling in China-made vehicles.
He explained that the MoD is “looking into” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but stressed that security is a concern in all contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the MoD and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China 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 secret classification in any kind of car, due to the increasing risks of eavesdropping that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Background
The revelation comes as reports from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and bring chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been directing laser beams at RAF aircrew, described as a “extremely risky” action by government representatives.
The broader security environment highlights the importance of robust measures and caution in every areas of official activities, including transport usage to discussions habits.
